The Cross Vol. VII, No.11 (November 1952)

Media

Part of The Cross

Title: The Cross Vol. VII, No.11 (November 1952)
Issue Date: Vol. VII, No.11 (November 1952)
Rights
extracted text: Dear sir, Regarding your recent editorial “Who Pays the Bill for U.P.?" I wou'd like to ask just one question: What assurance does the government have that the private institutions will measure up to the high standard that vri'l be expected of them if thev are to be tax—free and th-’ government were to apportion to them a .izeab'e subsidy? Being private institutions they could very well meet the minimum requirements of the government, and sure'y you do not expect the government to be after them in every detail cf their ooerations. Tnat will take a lot of headache end very little can be accomplished on the part of the government. Since it is then quite imprsheb'e that at least a sizeab'e portion of our private institutions will reach the high standard required of them the government is in a way forced to use its inf'uence upon an institution which is under its control. 1 hereby the Philippines can haze a university that cau'd rote highly with those cf ethers (bread Antonio V. Retpnio Pardon, Tcny, but we've read your letter three tirr.es and can't under stand it yet. Would you care to try to write more dearly? You talk like a U. P. student of Philosophy—a department we don't admire very much. Among other things, it seems to lack a good tough course in Logic. Would you care to try egain and write more dearly. You seem to have an idea, but its expressed cloudily.—Ed. Dear sir. I sincerely recommend goat-raising to every family. A litt'e know-how on it will reap wonders. The goat caldereta that is so popular in luncheons speaks highly of the utility of the goat. Try it! Francisco Medina NOVEMBER, 1952 Getting Better interesting and Pat, theirs is an uplifting they're boys or girls—Whichever OUR COVER IN MEMORIAM Posed by Miss Te Photography by Faust TfK NATIONAL 1 FAfC CATHOLIC VlV^V MAGAZINE Regina Bldg., Escolta, Manila, Philippines TABLE OF CONTENTS EDITORIALS: Archbishop G. M. Reyes—R. I. P. . . . 3 How to Fill the Rice Bowl ................ 4 Labor and Capital—Friends .............. 4 Shall We Teach Communism or Catholicism .................................. 5 Chain Prayers Are Often Superstitions . 5 Loafers, in the Government ................ 6 The Poor Debutantes ........................... 6 Less Mah-jong and Fine Clothes .... 7 ARTICLES: Archbishop Gabriel M. Reyes— R. I. P..................Mons. E. Vognozzi 9 Faceless Men of Soviet Diplomacy ........... David J. Dallin 13 Letter From France . . . Barbara Wall 15 Do Americans Believe in God? ......... 20 Canada's Royal Mounties ................ O. A. Battista 21 Apostle to Nippon . . Vicente Romero 25 If God Were Only God E. G. Salvador, S.J. 31 The Value of Novenas ....................... 38 The Holy Souls in Purgatory . . . James J. Lynch, S.J. 47 New Test for Cancer . Lawrence Gallon 52 Reducing Beriberi With Enriched Rice ......................... -. R. J. Barber 55 Pets Is Pests ......... Joseph A. Breig 58 STORIES: Theme Song .................. G. Mirando 18 POEMS: Like the Molave . . Ignacio Francisco 8 The Triumph of Greatness . . Edgardo Mo. Reyes, S.J. 17 Renunciation .... Bernardo de Leon 20 Footprints ......... Alfredo de la Cruz 29 O Beautiful Rose . . Frankie S. Castillo 39 COLUMNS: Heart to Heort ........... Lily Marlene 32 Maria Clara of 1952 ....................... 40 NOVEMBER, 1952 Vol. VII No. 11 Jose Galan Blanco ★ THE CROSS Is 'a Catholic publication Issued monthly by THE CROSS MAGAZINE wiLb the permission of the ecclesias tical authorities. Contributions AU submitted in duplicate and accompanied by return postagoi otherwise no return will be made in case ol rejection. Subocription rates One year — local: N.00: for eign: JJ.OO. Printed by K. P. GARCIA Publishing Company. WS Dapitan, Manila. Registareo the Manila Post Office or. M NOVEMBER, 1952 Editorial Archbishop Gabriel M. Reyes R. I. P. A gracious, zealous, prayerful prelate has gone to his reword! How mony of us all over the Philippines find life more lonely now that he is gone.' How mony have enjoyed his kindly smile of welcome, humorous his gracious words of encouragement, his pleasant and gems of conversation! How many of us have read the burning messages of his flaming pen! How mony heve listened and glowed to the unction of his powerful sermons and discourses! How many have profited from his gentle words of wisdom guiding us with the light we needed to penetrate the darkness of seemingly insoluble problems! And how mpny of us have seen him fulfilling the primary duty of every priest and prelote, leading his flock in prayer to the Almighty! Whether as o young priest in a lowly wayside chapel, or in later years in an imposing metropolitan cathedral, there we would find him, morning after morning, offering the Immaculate Victim to the Most High, interceding for his people, and joining them in hymns of adoration and contrition ana gratitude to the Almighty Lord of heaven and earth. And now He Hos colled you, dear Archbishop! Remember us here below, and foil not to help us that we may all faithfully follow you to God's Eternal Home! THE CROSS HOW TO FILL THE RICE BOWL Not oil of our government official) waste their time while traveling abroad. In the recent newsletter of the Department of Agriculture are contained many helpful comments by one of its technical men, Mr. Jose M. Trinidad, who recently arrived from a 6-month observation tour abroad.' Speaking of Japan, Mr. Trinidad soys that it will take at least three to four Filipino farmers to equal the productive capacity of one Japanese former. The Japanese farmer, he adds, due to his working period of 10 hours a day for 365 days a year, always keeps his farm meticulously clean and intensively cultivated. work that the son of Nippon obtains his fine results. Mr. Trinidad adds that the Japanese farmer is favored with many cooperative associations, crop and animal loan banks, high-yielding variety of seeds, and subscribes to farm journals and usually possesses a radio from which he can hear vital agricultural informatic In some fields of human endeavor, the Japanese can learn much from us. But in diligent and progressive methods of agriculture, we can well learn from them. We can learn how to fill our rice-bowls, and then we will have a healthier and sturdier people. LABOR AND CAPITAL,—FRIENDS Pleasant it was to read in the American press of the friendly gesture to management by Phil Murray, the head of the' powerful Steel Union in the United States. Our readers may remember that the country-wide steel strike in the United States was settled in July. Immediately after ihis settlement, Mur ray's first act was to propose to Ben Fairless, the President of the U. S. Steel Corporation, that they make a joint tour of the American steel plants to lay the foundation for a friendly labor-management relationship in the industry. The President of U. S. Steel jumped at the offer. At the first joint meeting, he pointed to his late protagonist, PhH Murray, and called him "an honest man and a great American." He congratulated Hie steel workers on "the friendliest strike I have ever heard of." Of the future,* he said, "I am going to find out what you are thinking about ond you moy be interested in some of my problems." But it could not have been said in a country where labor-management relations ore conducted against a background of class struggle. We urge NOVEMBER, 1952 both capital and labor in the Philippines to try to imitate Fairless and Murray and to discourage anything like agitation of class against class. SHALL WE TEACH COMMUNISM OR CATHOLICISM? Shall we teach Communism or Catholicism in our schools? Frequently enough, we read suggestions by government officials or other leading citizens that Communism should be taught in our schools. We need not immediately agree with this suggestion until we hear further details. But surely, there are some valid arguments in its favor.. . Communism is such a terrible world menace at present that it might help to enlighten our people about its doctrines and its activities. Without therefore completely agreeing or disagreeing with that pro position, may we suggest something that is even more important, namely, that we should exert every effort in this Catholic country to teach Catholicism in our schools. For years governmental leaders have been decrying the moral decay of the nation. They have bewailed the rise of juvenile delin quency. They have become almost hysterical about the recent wave of sex gangsterism. But down through the years, they remain strangely apathetic ond indifferent to the appeals of our ecclesiastical and loy Catholic leaders to make the teaching of religion compulsory in the curriculum of our public schools. Let us place first things first! Absolutely the most important thing for every child is to know, love, fear, and serve Almighty God. Far above all others, this is his most precious birthright. Let us not deprive him of it1 CHAIN PRAYERS ARE OFTEN SUPERSTITIOUS Once again we have been asked our opinion about chain prayers. We have seen a copy of a communication received by a friend in which he is urged to join a novena to our Lady of Fatima. In addition he is directed to make 12 copies of the letter and send them to his friends. "Do not let this end ia your home," he is told. And then comes the threat of punishment from Almighty God, if he does not obey the directions. Our friend is slightly worried. He does not wish to offend Our Lady of Fatima. Nor does fie wish to run the risk of punishment. Shall he comply with the directions? The answer is NO, emphatically NO. The whole thing smacks of superstition, ond most of all, does not bear any episcopal approval. In every part of the world, there is a prelate, usually a Bishop, who is named by the Holy See to direct the Church in his particular region THE CROSS' according to definite rules given to him. norm or standard by which to guide our Consequently we always have actions. Next time, my friend, when anyone comes and urges you to practice piety ond threatens you with punishment if you don't, ask him just one question: "Does your plan carry the approval of your Bishop?" If it lacks this approval, politely decline to cooperate with the proposition. LOAFERS IN THE GOVERNMENT Everybody feels that there are many drones in governmental offices. They know that there are countless loafers drawing salaries for little work. They realize that taxpayers* hord-earned money is being wasted in tremen dous sums by bureoucratic inefficiency. This situation was dramatized several weeks ago when President Quirino paid an unexpected visit to the NARIC compound in Manila. He noted immediately the lack of any activity in many parts of the dilapidated, dirty, old building. He found some of the key officials absent. He found that many of the clerical personnel had been given no assignment by their superiors, were receiving a government dole for no services rendered. He was in the building during office hours, but even at that time many of the employees were eating at lunch counters and frantically sneaked back to their desks when they beam of the President's visit. Other personnel, instead of attending to their work, were busy powdering their noses or reading the daily papers. And visitors and hangers-on congregated all over the place to prevent the few willing workers from doing their duty. All this in the main headquarters of the National Rice and Corn Corporation, otherwise known as NARIC, which has a duty to perform of transcendent importance to the country, where a rise in the price of rice and cam can cause hunger, if not starvation, to countless thousands. Oh, for a few strong men who could sweep out- the dirt of laziness from these stables supported by the taxpayers' money! Oh, for the day when these some strong men would be supported in their efforts by the higher officials in the government. And oh, for the time when the entire populace of the Philippines, forgetting the "compadre"_ system and private individual gain, could co-operate to make our governmental offices true centres of service for the good of the country. THE POOR DEBUTANTES What a sad spectacle! These poor, poor debutantes whose pictures appear on our society pages. So poor they don't even hove enough clothes to cover them. NOVEMBER, 1952 What is the world coming to? Bright and starry eyed they appear in the pictures, these debutantes, flanked on either side by father and mother, apparently brimming over with affection for their darlings. But it is all a ccuel deceit. The stingy parents won't give their poor daughters enough money even to buy a decent dress. They must appear to the eyes of all and sundry, with the cold November wind blowing through the hotel, their arms and shoulders completely uncovered, in imminent danger of catching a pneumonia that will cut short their promising young lives. What stingy parents, alas! Some of our society matrons seem to be treoted just as cruelly. Their pictures are snapped together with their better halves. Their husbands are comfortably clothed. Not only with "camisadentro," but an "americano" snugly wrapping them up. But the same stingy grasping husbands refuse to allow their wives anything more than a flimsy strapless "borong"-like garment, no protection at all against the evening's cool breezes. Alas and alack! What can we say to our Catholic men to persuade them to give to their wives and daughters enough money (or something else more valuable than money), so that these Catholic "ladies” may come to social functions fully garbed. If they don't, these half undressed "ladies" may suffer from someLESS MAH JONG AND FINE CLOTHES Many of our Catholic college graduates are a credit to their Alma Maters. They not only remain faithful to the ideols and principles of personal virtue, but in many cases are definitely helping, in large or small ways, to spread the Kingdom of God on earth. Unfortunately, however, not all Catholic college graduates are thus faithful to the ideals taught to them during their school days. With sadness do we hear of many who, forgetting the high principles and idealism of their youth, are wasting their precious adult years in mere materialistic self-seeking, time-wasting frivolities and even worse. At a recent Pox Romana congress in Canada, James Cardinal McGuigan Archbishop of Toronto, told tfre assembly of young Catholics: "Catholics who have had the advantage of university edu cation have a special apostolate to interpret to the world its religious and moral truths without which there can be no inter national community." THE CROSS Young Cotholic graduates, you have enjoyed special blessings! You hove received unusual equipment in order that you may live noble lives. To paraphrase Cardinal McGuigan, "Think less of money and 'mah-jong' and ‘me clothes and frivolous friends, and use your p'recious talents of mind ond body to help bring Christ to those who know Him not." Christ, our beloved Leader, hod no fine clothes on Calvary. LIKE THE MOLAVE "Like the molave . . . rising on the hillside, unafraid of the raging flood, the light ning and the storm ..." — M. L. Quezon A strong, brown giant standing straight, 'Clean-limbed, majestic, fiercely brave, Against whose strength the wind’s a wraith, Sullen, futile, and thunders rave In vain. See it stand, proudly still, The young molave on the hill! Wind-lashed, buffeted, yet unmoved, Mocking the lightning and the storm; A strong brown giant time has proved Flood defiant; a daring form Heroic, reaching for the sky, Soul-symbol of a nation’s cry! Molave, rising on the hill, May our youth be (e’er) like thee: Youth daring, fearless to fulfill Their sires’ cherished destiny— Their land forever free, at peace: Mary’s pearl of the orient seas! Ignacio Francisco NOVEMBER, 1952 ^ircijbisfjop (Gabriel JJH. lucres 30.$. Radio Address by His Excellency, Mons. Egidio Vognozzi, D. 0. I wos asked by the Knights of Columbus to make a brief address over the radio on the occosion of their annual patronal day. I anti cipated a pleasant participation in their hoppiness in their annual fiesta. But now, the angel of death has suddenly cast a cloud of gloom over the entire country. In a hospital in far off Washington, the beloved Archbishop of Manila, Monsignor Ga briel M. Reyes, has unexpectedly died. Not only his spiritual children in the Archdiocese of Manila, but the Cath olic people of the entire Philippines are heavy with grief. To them on this sad occasion, I offer my most sincere and heart-felt sympathy, and join with them in offering humble prayers for the repose of the soul of our late distinguished Truly has he deserved well, of the people of the Philippines, and most especially of £atholic Filipinos. A native of Calibo, Capiz, where he was bom on March 24, 1892, he was ordained pridst at the age of 23, and ot an eorly age, he was promoted to the position of Vicar General of the large and important Diocese of Jara, comprising all the provinces of Panoy and Romblon Islands. When scarcely 40, he wos appoint ed Bishop of the equally, if not more important, Diocese of Cebu. He wos the twenty fourth prelate to occupy this position. Likewise a tribute to his remark able abilities, was the fact that in 1934, he was installed as Archbishop of Cebu, the first Filipino to become an Archbishop. And when loter in 1949 he was named Archbishop of Manilo, again he was the first Filipino to be thus elevated. To expatiate at length on the many remarkable qualities of Monsignor Re yes would consume far more than the time alloted to me this evening. Out standing always as a priest ond pre late in his devoted zeal for souls, he possessed a penetrating vision thot helped greatly in adapting the spirit ual vineyard of the Philippines to mo dern conditions. During his admin istration in Cebu, Catholic education odvanced mightily. A tribute to his zeal for education wos the building 10 THE CROSS up of the University of San Carlos, now one of the most outstanding in the entire Philippines. Many other fine Catholic schools were also estab lished during his tenure in Cebu, including the Colegio de San Jose and the Colegio de Santo Nino. Archbishop Reyes wos also a de voted supporter of the Catholic Press. Himself o writer of keen thought ond acute mind, with a trenchant pen and a wide ond scholarly knowledge both of books and modern affairs, he made of his diocesan newspaper, ''Ang Lungcuronon," a leader in the field. Although always a Filipino of burn ing patriotism, with genuine respect for civil authorities, he would never tolerate infringement by the State upon the rights of the Church. He insisted, as did our Divine Lord, that we should render to Cesar the things thot are Cesor's, and to God the things that are God's. ' When in the lote thirties the Catholic Instruction Bill for Public Schools was vetoed, and the Catholic Hierarchy was se verely criticized for meddling in State affairs, the flaming pen of Arch bishop Reyes took up the challenge instantly ond fearlessly upheld the rights of the Church. And none of those who hod the privilege of hearing our dear departed Archbishop address an audience, espe cially in his beautiful Castilian, ever doubted thot he was one of the great orators of our doy, either lay or ecclesiastical. His unction, his high ideals, his clear thinking, and his masterly expression made of his speeches o thing of beauty and joy forever. In the last decode of his long career, one of the gredt achievements of Archbishop Reyes wos his leader-, ship of the Catholic Welfare Organ- ■ ization, whose objective was to co ordinate the work of the Hierarchy in protecting the rights of the Church and advancing its progress. With the blessing of my distinguished predeces sor, Msgr. Guillermo Pianni, and the capable assistance of the dynamic Father Hurley, this organization has continued to develop. We pray and hope thot it will be another lasting monument to the memory of Mon signor Reyes. It was in 1949 that the Archbishop was promoted from Cebu to the even more important Archdiocese of Ma nila. Alhough the venerable Arch bishop O'Dougherty was still alive, he was in wretched health, and our Holy Father in Rome deemed it wise that Archbishop Reyes should imme diately take over the complete ad ministration of Manila. He.was then no longer a young man. His experi ence during the world war had been most difficult, even excruciating. Day after doy, using the prestige of his high position, he hod paid daily visits to the Japanese generals to obtoin decent treatment for his people, espe cially for the Dutch ond American priests who had been thrown into jail. But he met only with rebuffs. On other occasions, the Japonese "kempetai" hod ..subjected him to merciless grilling, hour after hour. They forced him to undergo the heot NOVEMBER, 1952 the sun during the hottest port of the doy. They ordered him to remoin concentrated in his seminary, but he accepted this ond other indignities with the humility thot formed port of his greatness. Finolly, when the Americans were approaching closer to Cebu and it wos suspected that the Japanese would soon kill all prominent Cebu officials including the Arch bishop, he left his home ond, with his devoted secretory. Father Motus, fled -over the hills through the cogon grass and thp coconut groves. Only ten minutes after his departure, the Japanese came to arrest him. But he had escaped by the narrowest of margins. And so he wos saved for us. He came to Manila and for many months, carrying the burdens of the two vast archbishoprics, commuted between Manito ond Cebu until his successor in the south was appointed by the Holy See. Then with' characteristic energy ond zeal, he threw kimself into his new work. But the toils and trials of the wor hod left their marks. It is some months since those of us knew him well realized that his heolth was failing. But defying his physical sufferings, ond disregarding his doc tor's advice, he continued his doily fidelity to his varied and heavy duties as a good soldier on the field of battle to the moment when his strength could carry on no more. Almighty God, in his ineffable wis- .. dom, has called to Himself our be loved Shepherd of Souls. The people of his native Capiz and of the entire Islond of Panay, his first field of work; the people of Cebu, whose flock he shepherded for almost twenty years; the people of Manila, whose deep and abiding affection he won during the last three years of his declining health, and indeed the people of the entire Philippines who were so proud of him os their most distinguished prelate, will all unite with me, I am sure, in praying for the happy repose of his soul, and begging him that he will still look down upon us and help us from heaven, as he always helped us while he was here on earth. May his soul and the souls of all tbe faithful 'departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. I had intended this evening, indeed the speech was prepared, to speak at some length of the Knights of Colum bus and other Catholic organizations in the field of social justice and char ity. I would have pointed out that by continuing and increasing such achievements, they were*in some woy imitating their great patron, Chris topher Columbus, who was famous not only for his marvelous feats of navigation and discoveries, but also conspicuous for his kindness ond con sideration to the poor natives of the islands he discovered. Under the present circumstances, however, be it sufficient if I briefly recognize the splendid work of the many Catholic charitable organiza tions, both religious and lay, which today, just as in the countless decades of the past, have manifested a prac tical Christ-like love for Christ's poor. 12 THE CROSS I wish publicly to recognize olso the movements undertaken by priests and laymen to implement the social en cyclicals of Pope Leo XIII and Pope Pius XI. Specifically to the Knights of Co lumbus in Manila, whose guest I am this evening, I wish to offer heartfelt congratulations for their splendid work in this field. Apart from many other activities, I am delighted beyond measure at your organization eighteen months ago of the Columbian Farm ers' Aid Association. I have seen the pamphlets which you are prepar ing on Cooperatives. I have heard of your efforts and plans to cooperate with the government program in Adult Education and cottage industries. I hove heard of your two small pilot farms near Manila and the lorger project soon to be undertaken. It is of the greatest importance that we devote ourselves to the study and practice of how to improve the welfare of our millions of rural resi dents. Obviously in the Philippine Islands at the present time, this is on ob jective of critical importance. Todoy, roughly about 10 percent of our pop ulation are engaged in industry, in or near our large cities. The remain ing 90 percent of our population lives in the rural areas, engaged in agri cultural, fishing, lumbering ond sim ilar occupations. For the present time, therefore, our great effort in the Philippines to implement the en cyclicals of Pope Leo XIII and Pope Pius XI must be devoted to the social and economic amelioration of our ru ral population. Urgently indeed do they need as sistance. The four Horsemen of illiteracy, poverty, hunger and disease are waging a campajgn that makes many of our people feel that life is not worth living. In many instances, our emaciated children die young. Many others survive, but their bodies, infested with tubercular bacilli, in testinal parasites and other diseases, are ill equipped for the battle of life. Countless others fall victim to discouragement and defeatism and a "bahala na" attitude Which makes them ill satisfied with their surround ings and lacking in any ambition to improve their lot and that of their neighbors. The methods which you Knights of Columbus are studying and putting to practice are well adapted to improve the situation. And you may be sure, my dear Broher Knights of Columbus, that such a program had the hearty sympathy of our dear deceased Arch bishop. You may be sure that it is completely in accord with the funda mental principle of his entire life which was spent in bringing Christ to the underprvileged. Overcoming our grief and our sorrow, let us continue bravely with the works so well began. Your projects are admirable. Con tinue with courage and faith. Con tinue, always with obedience to your respective Bishops. Continue, your hearts burning with love of God ond love of neighbor, happy thot you may sacrifice your own ease and comfort in order to bring Christ to the multi tude who know Him not. NOVEMBER, 1952 From the Great Purge evolved the Faceless Men of Soviet Diplomacy by David J. Dallin From The New Leader Courtesy of USIS Perhaps the most notable quality of Soviet diplomats abrood is their uniformity; sometimes they impress one os wholly without personality, al most os automatons. Even the in telligent observer finds it difficult to distinguish o Jacob Malik from an Alexander Panyushkin, or a Kirill Novikov from a Fyodor Gusev. In the hope of clarifying this situa tion, I compiled a list of the thirteen most important Soviet diplomatic rep resentatives, including four deputy ministers. These thirteen men con stitute the cream of Soviet diplomacy; they represent the U.S.S.R. among non-Soviet peoples ond ore likely to remain in the limelight for ot least the next few years. Indeed, one of them may well shortly succeed the aging Andrei Vishinsky as Foreign Minister. The most remarkable fact about these thirteen men is thot all, with out exception, entered the Soviet for eign service between 1937 ond 1941. There is not o single prominent So viet diplomat today who worked in the Foreign Affairs Commissoriat be fore 1937. Three of these thirteen started their diplomatic careers in 1937, six in 1939, three in 1940, and one in 1941. The same uniformity holds true for their age, which varies between the narrow limits of 40 and 52. Not a single one of these top-ronking diplomats was bom before 1900; seven were born between 1905 and 1909. In no other country in the world con one find this top-heavy proportion of young, relatively inex perienced diplomatic representatives. This situation is attributable, of course, to the Great Purge of the 1930s, when a great mony high offi cials of the Commissariat of Foreign Affoirs, including most of the "Old Bolsheviks" from Lenin's time, were liquidated. The Purge made virtually a clean sweep of the foreign serv ice, ond the few survivors have for the most part been removed since. Another interesting characteristic of the new generation of Soviet diplo mats is their exclusively Russian ori gin; there are no Georgians, Poles, Armenians or, of course, Jews among them. This is a significant develop ment in the personnel policy of the THE CROSS 14 Soviet foreign service, in which nonRussions ore kept from porticipoting in internotionol affoirs. After the 1920s and 1930s had demonstrated the lack of foreign-service men with proper training for their special tasks, an "Institute for Diplomatic and Con sular Employes" was created, and one would expect the great mojority of Soviet diplomats to be graduates of this or a similar school. In fact, however, only three of the thirteen men subject to analysis here ever received an appropriate education. Five were previously teachers, two engineers, one a gradu ate of a military school, one an eco nomist ond one a jurist. Obviously, Russians occupied a prominent place up to the time of the Purge. As a matter of fact, of the five men who have held the Foreign Min ister's post in the thirty-five years of Soviet history, only two—Georgi Chicherin and Vyacheslav Molotov— have been Russians; two—Leon Trot sky ond Moxim Litvinov—have been Jews; and one—Andrei Vishinsky, one of the few top-echelon survivors of the Purge—a Pole. Soviet ambas sadors once included a good many representatives of the non-Russian na tionalities of the Soviet Union, but today this has all changed. Ivan Maisky in London ond Moxim Litvi nov in Washington—both removed at at the end of the war—were the last of this group. It is also astonishing that so few prominent present-day Soviet diplo mats possess an educational back ground equipping them to deal with in the critical situation resulting from the wholesale liquidations of the Purge. Men were plucked out of jobs in no way connected with diplomacy ond assigned to the Commissariat of Foreign Affairs. Their chief quali fication was not so much education and experience as loyalty ond obedi ence. It is this common quality that makes Soviet diplomats appear ludi crously robot-1 ike. They entered upon their careers at a moment of great stress and mortol fear, and stress and fear have become their dominant traits. It is a rare event when a Soviet emissary tells a joke; his private life is carefully regularized and supervised so thot nothing in the outside environment can possibly re act upon him. These men's predecessors were servants of the same absolute dicta tor, but many of them—like Nikoloi Krestinsky in Berlin or Konstantin Yurenev in Tokyo—dared to be af fable and charming, to fend a per sonal note to an impersonal policy. It was precisely this personal note which the Leader found disturbing, for it clashed with the new concept of a soulless and invincible jugger naut, a streamlined ond coordinated "apparatus." Only when a defector emerges from the ranks of the new Russian diplomats will we know in detoil exactly how this process of personolity-emasculation' hos been performed on these standard-bearers of Soviet prestige ond dignity. NOVEMBER, 1952 15 A small village, a lonely cure, and a 'flcm "-fiance by Barbara Wall From the America As I am staying for the summer in France, I am taking the liberty of writing a "Letter from a French vil lage" instead of my usual London letter this time, in the hope that my readers moy not find it without in terest. The village where I am has four farms, six shops, two smithies,' four small cafe's, a post-office, a mairie, a school, a church and some seven hundred inhabitants. It lies about twenty miles to the northwest of Paris but is an agricultural village with a mere smattering of commuters. It has associations with the arts, for Corot lived here for a time, and the thick woods on the one side of the valley are his woods; Daumier lived here all his life, and his statue stands in the middle of the small place bor dered with trimmed trees; and on the plain above the villoge Van Gogh committed suicide. I suppose about a quarter of the population goes to Mass, putting it at its highest. This is said to be usual in the surroundings of Paris. The farm laborers absent themselves. os well as the cafe proprietors and shopkeepers and the schoolmoster and mistress. The mayor and his wife go and one or two gentry families, wives of laborers, farmers' daughters, most of the children, irrespective of whether their parents practise or not—for in stance, the chief enfant de choeur is the son of the blacksmith, who him self never goes, nor his wife. And there is what I suppose fortunately exists in every village—the one de vout, youngish maiden lady who is everyday at the 7:30 Mass (some times only she is there) to make the responses (because it is rare that any of the altar-boys turn up during the week), to open and shut the Com munion rails, to fetch quietly and swiftly from the sacristy something the cure moy have forgotten. It is she, too, who teaches the school chil dren their catechism. In a village lacking this woman the cure must have a lot more difficult time than he has already. Churchgoing naturally takes on quite a different character when a social occosion is involved—a funeral. THE CROSS a wedding, a Communion solennelle. In France it is not first Communion thot is the great social event: that is quiet and ostentatious. But a few year# later the Communion solennelle takes place, when the child dresses in white, and the whole family (whether normally churchgoing or not) puts on its grandest clothes, and the entire day is given over to merry-making ond family-gathering on a large scale. Uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents all foregather and portoke of exquisitely prepared food and drink just as at a wedding. The Sunday before Corpus Christi is the Solemn Communion doy in France—or at least in these parts— and the tempting patisserie shops be come full of little effigies of white communicants, sometimes made of sugar. The white-sugared dragees de bapteme—sweets made in the shape of a cradle with a diminutive baby inside—are also displayed in the con fectioners' shops to celebrate baptism. One of these dragees was offered to me by the village gravedigger on the occasion of the baptism of his grand child. He is a fervent non-practiser, not so much, it seems, because he dislikes the Church os such, but bet cause he dislikes the cure. He prefers he told me, the cur6 protestant who came once from Paris, first because he made the ceremony last longer ond people felt he was at least earn ing his pay, and second because he gave a much bigger tip than the cure of the village. However, In recom mending me his dragee* the grave digger said impressively: "Elies sant benies, veus save*." The cure himself is a large peasant, dressed, like all French priests all the time, in o cassock, -tucked up on very hot days and revealing sturdy legs in thick black socks. He drinks his litre of wine a day like every other man, and if the wine-seller is shut he routs him out just like every one else. Yet the fact that he does this was mentioned to me by the gravedigger*as a criticism; so that, even by nonpractisers, the curd is expected to be in a class apart. And yet, from another point of view, he is laughed at for being in a class apart. Ete*-vous homme ou femme? The gamins may shout at him. He says mass beautifully ond with great depth of feeling. He keeps the church clean dhd tidy and flow ered, and every now ond again he pins up on the door a painstakingly typed statement of public interest, for example the French archbishop's con demnation of the atomic bomb. He has a large, ruddy, wrinkled face, smokes a lot, and goes to and fro on a motorbicyle, a beret on his head. He preaches even at early Mass on Sundays ond rarely says very much of practical interest to the small congregation. The door of the church is always open, but is seldom that anyone avails himself of this opportunity. Some weeks ago I went in to find out whether St. Peter and St. Paul was a holy day of obligation in Fronce. It was evening. The church wos empty, but presently I realized NOVEMBER, 1952 17 thot the cure wos kneeling before the oltor. When I touched his orm he storied violently. I asked my question and he said no, the feost was always celebrated on the follow ing Sunday. I told him that in Eng land both thot and Corpus Christi were holy doys of obligation. He said: "Ah, you see what fervent Catholics you have in Protestant countries. Look whot it is like here." And he made a gesture of despair. It is difficult to allocate the fault —the whole matter is too complex, especially for a foreigner such as my self. It would seem that the cure keeps himself too much apart from the villagers, owing to a sort of tra dition of mistrust between one and the other. It is not he who is the prominent dispenser of charity in the village; one of the nonpractising cafe proprietors gives free soup to the down-and-outs. But then the cure is too poor. He clatters about in thick, hard block boots ond his cossock is caked with dirt. Much of his meagre -collections at Moss must go to the church's excellent upkeep. Yet, though a familior figure in the village street—he reads his office walking along in the evening sun— he is somehow not of it. He is rarely to be seen hobnobbing with the vil lagers, except with children (remind ing an altar-boy of a marriage next day) or with practising women. There is little to be said thot has not already been said by Mouriac and Bemanos. It is difficult to know what quality in a cure would give back their faith to the gravedigger and his cronies—whether personal ascetism, great holiness or on ardent practice of the corporal works of mercy. At any rote a cufe to whom the village is indifferent, if not hostile, seems to me a very lonely and very Courageous person. THE TRIUMPH OF GREATNESS God's greatness gleams in stars that smile in space. And in the blood-shot sun that westward wanes After his weary march, when the day's course Is done, and the moon rules the night's domains. God's greatness glitters in the sunset fields Flowing with golden ripeness in the breeze, In meadows bright with nodding hues, in wilds Where blossoms burn the foliage from the trees. But greatness clearest spoke when Mary's sigh Rose to the stars with the Infant's helpless cry. Edgardo Ma. Reyes, S.J. 18 THE CROSS Sod memories come back when once again she heard their. . . . Theme Song by Gregg Miranda Faint glow touched her cold cheeks. Stars glared down at her. Rough breeze tousled her hair. But she remained still......... silent. . . . listen ing. !. listening to the far off music. Her gaze wos fixed afor......... aloft. . . . beyond the swaying polms. She wos looking, intently looking, yet with unseeing eyes. The melody held her spellbound. Colmly she stood. . . gazing.... listening........... Her face was lightly pressed against the windowpane. In peace the serene world ob served. Time was ticking fast the approach of midnight. The breeze was growing cold. Faint, hallow, the magic strain rocked the strtlness. It was their theme song; how could she forget? How could she when it hod held much significance of their first meeting? When it had held much more significance of that last message? His last message! She won't ever forget. Never! Not even if she tried to. It will always be there. It will always tor ture her with the sadness of its "In the chapel of the roses Everyday I'll say a pray'r. ..." How it brought back each memory! It was Jude again. The whole world was gay. Everything was in bloom. Her heart wos in bloom. It was beating faster. For she wos in love. She had met him. He loved her. What joy it was to love and be loved! Loved, indeed, wos wonder ful! Or wos it really? Where wos her love now? Where was he now? A tear moistened the windowpane. The sad tune sounded from ofor. It echoed from the heavens. When will they meet again? When? The stars twinkled for an answer. The moon shone brighter. The accident! It had happened on d night like this! The stors! NOVEMBER, 1952 19 They hod witnessed his death! And now they stared in silence, in mystery. She shivered. She pressed her cheeks harder against the pane and sobbed. She felt the loneliness of the night --------------- felt its stillness, its desoation. "Everydoy I'll say a pray'r. . ." The for off melody resumed its soft sigh. She wos once more comfortably seated on the sofa listening to their song. Heoring it wos never tire some. She dearly treasured the rec ord and played it often. The music was low then. The blinds were down and the room was in semi-darkness. Early twilight was fading into night. The letter lay in her hands. She had read it twice. He had gone. But only for some doys. He would soon come back. The day after the next day. It was only a short visit. He wouldn't stay long in the province. Pray for me, he had said. Oh, indeed, she would pray! Fear had clutched her heort though safety was assured. Something might hop pen ori the way. No! Nothing would happen. She would pray --------------pray for his return. But he never returned. Not alive! Alone, suffering on the highway, He hod taken him away to rest for ever --------------- to stay with Him for all eternity ond never to return to her. She remembered his pale, unmov ing face --------------- his lifeless form --------------- his deathly silence. She shut the window abruptly as though by doing so she could shut off the haunting vision. The stillness grew more intense.' It pierced her heart till it softened. She uttered softly. "Forgive me, Lord. You had every right to take him away. He is Yours." Her low whisper rang through the room. Midnight struck. "Till we meet again. . ." The distant note died away into silence. Slowly, she parted the curtoins, opened the window, ond gazed once more into the vault of heaven. Moonlight streamed into her room. Rooftops glimmered under its pale radiance. The smooth povement brightened at the touch of its tender beams. She feasted on the displayed gran deur of the silent night". She sensed her loneliness amidst its sublime, still ness that reached beyond that glorious dwelling place. He was there now resting in peace. He was far away, yet he would always be near. He would never return, yet they would meet again. Faint glow fell upon her cold cheeks. Stars glared down at her. Rough breeze tousled her hair. But she remained still. . . . listening. . . . listening to the echo of their song. 20 THE CROSS Do Americans Believe In God? Released by Phil. Ass. 99% of American adults believe in God. This figure has been arrived at in the first impartial nation-wide survey of religious beliefs ever made in the United States. The survey, made by an dent commercial opinion indepenresearch firm, cut across racial and religious lines and examined the beliefs of Catholics, Protestants, Jews, other sects, and those professing no reli= gious beliefs. The questionnaire and polling techniques, four months In preparation, were reviewed and proved by Dr. George Gallup of the Gallup Poll. The first report of the survey is published in the November Catholic Digest, the magazine which spon sored the poll. In the questionnaire, the basic question put to Americans was: "Do you believe in a God?" The question wos understood. It could not be side-stepped because of a lack of directness. Ninety-nine per cent said they believe in God. Only one per cent said they do not believe. Looking more closely at the survey, belief in a Gcd among those who said they were Protestant was founo to be just under 99%, those who said they were Catholic just under 100% among those who said they were Jewish slightly less than 97%. Disbelief was greatest among those who said they belonged to no church group. Of the sexes, women stood at close to 100% while men mustered only 98%. In addition, all who answered "Yes" were asked: "How strong would you say this belief is"—^"Ab solutely certain there is a God"— "Fairly sure there is—not quite sure, but like to think there is—or, not all sure, but not sure there isn't." Of the total, 87% were absolutely certain, 10% fairly sure, and 2% not quite sure, with less than 1/2 of 1 % not at all sure. Of the Catholics 92% were absolutely cer tain, 7 % fairly sure, 1 % not quite sure. Of the total Protqstant, 87% were absolutely certain, 10% fairly sure, 2% not quite sure. The Jews were 70% absolutely certain, 18% fairlv sure, 9% not quite sure. Of those from no religious group, only 55% were absolutely certain, 21% foirly sure, 7% not quite sure, and 2% not at all sure. From'this group rame the largest percentages who did not believe in God: 12%, and the 3% who did not know. Future reports on the survey's findings will show the intensity of that belief in practice. NOVEMBER, 1952 21 Unsurpassed anywhere in the world are Canada’s Royal Mounties By O. A. Battista From the Columbia The Royal Canadian Mounted Po lice has a history even more exciting than the movie plots which roman ticize it. But the overage American's concept of the Mounties is olmost entirely wrong. For example, most Americans be lieve thot the Mounties weor red coats oil the time, ride horses ond operate only in the For North, relent lessly tracking r^own enemies of so ciety who have fled into the wilds. Actually, the Mounties' working uniprosaic brown coat and long matching trousers or blue breeches with yellow stripes, long boots and spurs; ond, more often than not, they operate in civilian clothes. The scar let tunic is used only in court, in parades, and in areas where American of criminal investigations, the Mount ed Police hondle Coast Guard, Border Patrol, Secret Service and mony other functions. The Mounties ore the only authority in the Yukon and North west Territories, which cover more land than half the United States. And any province in the Dominion of Canada can contract for its services "to enforce the provincial statutes and criminal code." This arrangement is now in effect in six of Canada's ten provinces. Three provinces—Ontario, Quebec .and British Columbia—main tain their own provincial police forces, but moy reinforce these with Mounties on request should on emergency arise. Old As the Canadian Nation tourists are numerous. The RCMP js almost as old as the The Royol Canadian Mounted Po lice is primarily a federal law enforce ment agency that operates wherever ond whenever needed anywhere in the Dominion of Canada. Mode up of fewer thon five thousand men, its responsibilities moke it an all-inclu sive FBI. In addition to the coverage Ccnadian nation, and hod its begin ning during the early days after the American Civil Wor. Canada's confederation took ploce in 1867. Six years later, 300 men in crimson jackets and tight breeches, known officially as the Northwest Mounted Police, rode westward from Dufferin in Manitoba. They were 22 THE CROSS charged by Parliament with the spe cific task of rounding up and bring ing to justice a group of American freebooters who had crossed the bor der into southern Saskatchewan and wiped out a village of peaceful Assiniboin Indians. The freebooters had been capitalizing on the sale of whis key to Indians, but not without per petrating many crimes. The original force of Northwest Mounted Police took two years to round up the ig noble murderers of the Assiniboins ond bring them to trail. But they carried out their assignment with such decorum ond efficiency thot the Do minion Government set them up on o permanent basis to protect the in alienable rights of its western pop ulace. Later, when the Dominion wos sponned by the Canadian Pocific, Mounties guarded the end of steel and helped survey the passes through the Continental Divide. In 1920, its headquarters was transferred from Regina to Ottawa, and it was renomed the Royal. Cana dian Mounted Police. At this time, it entered a new territory east of Hudson Bay. Airplanes came into use. Famous Arctic patrols, in 1924, pushed deep into the Eskimo domain. The most important exploration since then wos the forcing of the North West possoge, in 1942, by the RCMP schooner, St. Roch. The historic trip from Vancouver lo Halifax lasted 28 months. Most of the pioneering is over now, but the Mounties continue to push bock frontiers. Though its character hos changed greatly since its formation 75 years ago, the RCMP still reflects much of the glamour of the frontier through, its northern and other far-flung de tachments. These assignments range, from Arctic patrolling and the superbvision of Eskimos to ordinary preven tion work concerning such contraband as narcotic drugs, counterfeiting, illicit distilling, identification ond classifi cation of criminals: The RCMP also ossists the United States FBI in crim inal os well as intelligence service coses. It assumes the protection of public buildings, makes reports on migratory birds, furbearing animals and hunting out of season, takes part in the application of customs ond ex cise laws and, to o small extent, of immigration regulations. It investig ates naturalization papers and pass ports, makes enquiries on applicants for civil service positions, enforces statutes governing the Indians, and mony other federal enactments. For such tasks, men of many types and talents are needed. Yet each candidate must be characterized by personal integrity, a high’’degree of intelligence and a sense of responsi bility. The selection of recruits is carried out by meons of the usual form of educational examinations, supplemented by an intelligence test and a patterned interview. To qualify, an applicant must be a British subject, resident in Canado, between the age of 21 and 30, un married, standing over five feet eight inches in his socks, physically fit, and oble to speak, read and write either English or French. Members are not permitted to marry for six years. NOVEMBER, 1952 23 After completing this initiol stage, they may be granted the privilege by the Commissioner, provided they are free from debt and have cosh or con vertible assets to the value of $1200. Many Of the "Mounties" Jus* Walk Since the engagement period is five years, they must re-enlist ot the ex piration of each term to become eligi ble for a life pension, which is granted upon completion of twenty years of satisfactory service. Careful selection at-the recruit level is followed by periodic interviews conducted by the Personnel Deportment throughout the entire career of the policemen. The recruit's six months initiation includes drilling, horsemanship, shooting, study of criminal law, aids to investigation, public relations ond much else, in cluding swimming ond life saving. The saddle part is a very minor ar^d emergency aspect of octual police work but an important item in train ing. The riding school, with its gruel ling routine, is a splendid form of physical culture and of character de velopment. In order to maintoin high morale in the force ond to perpetuate in its personnel a model for Canadian youth, equitation is retained as an incomparable school of audacity, calmness, perseverance, mental alert ness ond sportsmanship. L'esprit ca valier helps to maintain l'esprit de corps. Actually, todoy, thdte are less than 200 horses left in the entire force; ond these, too, are used olmost ex clusively for parades and for exhi bitions in American horse shows. The Mounties' modern mounts ore radio prowl cars, jeeps, trucks, snowmobiles, airplanes, motorboats and mine sweepers. Mony ride nothing at all. They walk, like ony other cop. In the vast Yukon and Northwest Territories, however, the troopers of "G" Division sledded 60,322 miles lost year by dog team. And one constable slogged 1400 miles across the barrens on show shoes to bring bock the murderer of an Eskimo. Each graduate Mountie comes out o lifesover, typist, fingerprint mon and driver—with a smattering of medi cine, physics, photography, law ond spectrography thrown in. Of every 28 men who apply, only three actually get into the force. These are so good by the time they finish their training that they are sent out immediately "on detachment." Climbing the rank-ladder in the RCMP is a hard pull. Ronks are organized very much os in the Army. A constable tfeird class is the same as a recruit; a constable second class is a private; and a constable first class is the equivalent of a private first class. After that come' corporals, sergeants and staff sergeants; and the commissioned officers (now exclusive ly promoted from the ranks) : sub inspector, inspector, superintendent, assistant commissioner, deputy com missioner ond commissioner. An inspector, who wears the pips of an Army captain, gets up to $3,270 a year plus allowances. A morried sergeant living at home gets $3,1 14 a year; and a single constable living in a barracks gets only $1,520 24 THE CROSS o yeor. All Mounties can retire on generous pensions, however, after 20 yeors of service. At, the very peak of the hierarchy rvffife'tl 0.730-a-vear commissioner, who wears the insigne of a brigadier. The current commissioner is Stuart Toylor Wood, whose father was a Mountie and who was born and raised on Mounted Police posts. One may get a grasp of the num erous ond varied demands on the abilities of Mounties by reviewing just a few of-their achievements in recent •fnonths. For exomple, there was the man in Melochville, Quebec, who had on artificial leg. He had been re peatedly spotted going back and forth across the border. The Mounties dis covered that the hollow leg was filled with expensive watches on which he had neglected to pay duty. They used submarine-detecting equipment on one of their patrol boats to locate missing schools of herring in the Gulf of St. Lawrence for Canada's Depart ment of Fisheries; they looked into a hearse in a funeral procession wind ing its way from Detroit to Windsor, Ontario, and discovered 100 cartons of cigarettes in the coffin instead of a body. They ran down and con victed 60 murderers and safecrackers; and they successfully arbitrated a tri angle fight between mon, wife ond girl friend in a Manitoba town. It was the American movie in dustry thot pinned the motto "Don't come back until you get your man" on the Mounties. Contrary to the average belief, the RCMP is a "Silent Force"—unpretentious, and unobtru sive. Quietly and without fanfare the members of the Royol Canadian Mounted Police Force live up to their official slogan "Maintiens le droit" or "Uphold the right." Theic record for doing just that is unsurpassed anywhere in the world. Entertainment Motion picture box-office receipts for 1951 were $69 million less than in 1950, a decline of 5.5%. Professional baseball teams took in less money too—$51 million as compared with $55 million the year before. Opera and the legitimate theater with $90 million, aqd college footboll with $103 million, equaled their receipts of the year before. Horse and dog-track admissions jumped from $36 million to $38 million. Prices The cost of living inched up to an all time peak between May 15 and June 15, stood at 189.6% of the 1935-39 average—0.3% higher than the month before, 11.6% higher than in June 1950. NOVEMBER, 1952 25 St. Francis Xavier never thought as he lay dying in Sancian that he had become Apostle to Nippon by Vicente Romero In 1549, St. Froncis Xavier had been seven yeors in the East. His apostolate had begun in Goa and continued through Cape Comorin, the Fishery Coast, Trovancore, Malacca and the Spice Islands. In Malacca in December of 1547, he first met the young Japanese Anjiro, later bap tized Paul of the Holy Faith, who wos to inspire him with the greot dream of carrying the faith to the Japanese, despite the dangers from storms and Chinese pirates. Even at Malacca in 1547, there wos not much known about the mysterious islands for to the North. They had been discovered by Portu guese traders in 1542, but until that time they seemed to have hod contact only with the Chinese from whom they borowed much of their religion and culture. The Portuguese colled the islands the llhas dos Ladrones because of the pirates thot infested the neighboring seas. The Spaniards, however, colled them Islos Plateriot because of the silver mines known to exist there. Xavier was much impressed by Anjira and his accounts of the Japanese people. He felt confident that the Japonese would readily occept the faith and without interference from those few among the Spaniards and Portuguese who preferred the profits of trade to the good of souls. In his letter to the Jesuits at Rome on Jonuory 21, 1548, Xavier wos very hopeful over the prospects for the faith in the islands to the north. For almost eighteen months he dreamed and planned. Finally, in June 1549, he was ready to begin what wos to become one of his great est conquests in the East. Xavier's reputation hod spread. When his intentions become known, several of the Portuguese merchant ships in the harbor at Malacca of fered to take Xavier to Japan with them, believing thot the presence of the saint on board would be an in surance against shipwreck. But the merchant ships spent the winter some where on the China coast and would not reach Japan until the following year. Xavier, however, would brook no delay to his zeal. He could not bear the thought of lying idle in some desolate inlet on the China THE CROSS 26 coast for five or six months. He occordingly looked elsewhere for pas sage to the islands of the Japanese. There was a Chinese junk in the harbor just about to soil, captained by a pirate nicknamed El Ladrao, who agreed to take Xovier and his companions to Japan for a good price. The Governor at Malacca would have preferred that Xovier take a safer means of passage to Japan, but since he could not persuade the saint to wait, he made El Ladrao pledge his wife and property at Ma lacca for the sofe arrival of Xavier Xavier himself gives us on account of this first missionary journey to Japan in the longest letter he ever wrote. A favorable monsoon was blowing as the Chinese junk cleared the harbor of Malacca in the after noon of June 24, 1549, the feast of San Juan. The captain, however, was not as constant os the weather. Once cleor of the harbor ond the influence of the Portuguese Commondant, he begon- to waver in his promise of a speedy voyage to Japan;- he stopped at every island they came upon. Francis fretted at the delay but the Chinese remained deaf to his en treaties. Even more disturbing to the saint was the misdirected piety of the pagan crew. The heathen set up on idol on the poop and were constantly offering sacrifice to it. They fre quently cast lots before it and every detail of the journey was determined by the outcome of these lots. Where to stop, how long to stay, whot course to take — all depended on the whim of the little idol on the deck. Xovier did his best but he was unable to prevent the idolatrous worship. After some time at sea, the shipput in a little island to take on' extra rigging and rudders to meet the storms which often did so much damage to ships crossing the China Sea. Then the Chinese crew cast lots, after first making many sacrifices to the idol with a multitude of pros trations, and asked whether the wind would be favorable or not. The lot fell out thot they were to have favor able weather and should wait -no longer. So El Ladrao's little ship weighed anchor again and set soil, to the great joy, we may be sure, of Xavier and his companions. Xavier remarks at this point in his account that the heathen put their trust in the idol, while he and his companions trusted in God for whose love and service they had undertaken this jour ney to Japan. It was the sentiment of a true Apostle. As the ship continued o’rt its way with a favorable wind behind .them, the crew began casting lots agoin and inquiring whether the ship would return from Japan to Malacca. The answer was that they would reach Japan in safety but thot they would never see Malacca again. As a consequence. El Ladrao and his crew of pirates became less, anxious to reach Japan. They began planning to winter on the China coast and woit for the following year or for o favorable omen from the idol on the deck. NOVEMBER, 1952 27 On the eve of the feost of St. Mary Magdalen they met with two disasters near the coast of Cochin, China. There wos a heavy sea run ning and high wind. El Ladrao or dered the anchor out - ond the ship hove to. The blunt-bowed little ship wallowed heavily in the trough of the waves ond it wos increasingly diffi cult to keep one's footing on deck. As a particularly heavy wave heeled the ship over, Manuel, the Chinese servont of Xavier's party, lost his balance ond fell through an open hatch into the hold. He was nearly drowned in the bilge ond wos only rescued and revived with great dif ficulty. The heavy seas continued un abated. A few hours later, the daughter of the Coptain, who was with her father on the ship, was thrown overboard ond drowned be fore her fother's eyes. The pagans were strongly affected by the disaster. All that day and night, amidst great lamenation, they made great sacrifices ond feasts to the idol. They killed many birds and gove it food and drink. They cast lots and the answer was received thot the Captain's daughter would not have fallen into the sea if Manuel had died. All thot night, Xavier prayed and waited for the expected blow to fall. He felt sure thot the Chinese would demand their deaths os sacrifice to the idol for the deoth of the girl. But by eorly morning they were still olive and the Coptain seemed willing to forget the whole affair. Perhaps he remembered his wife ond property in Molocco, which he hod pledged for the sofe arrival of Xovier ond his componions in Jopon. Idol or no idol, he could not afford to hove his passengers suffer harm. In o few days they reached Canton in Chino, where El Ladrao planned to spend the winter. Xavier's threats ond the feor of whot the Portuguese might do upon his return to Malacco persuaded him to sail on. Reaching Chian-Chow, further up the coast, the Captain agoin decided to winter there ond all Xavier's arguments availed nothing. But just as they were about to enter the boy, a sail hove in sight with news that the harbor was full of pirates. Since El Ladrao had little to feor from men of his own kind, it was most probable that the ships in the harbor were police junks which El Ladrao had reason to avoid. He accordingly headed out to sea again resolved to return to Canton for the winter. But once out to sea, it was a stiff head wind all the way back to Canton and a good stern wind all the way to Japan. So, much against their wills, the Coptain and crew were forced to come to Japan. Xavier remarks that neither the devil nor his ministers had power to prevent their coming, and God it wos who brought them to this longed-for land. On the feost of the Assumption, August 15, 1549, they came into the port of Kagoshima, Anjiro's native town, ond they were received with much love by Anjiro's relatives and oil the other residents. Christianity hod come to Jopon. 28 THE CROSS In three short yeors, in the face of much hardship and opposition, Xovier planted the faith in Japan, a faith that was to grow rapidly until persecution all but destroyed it in 1650. By 1585 there were over 200,000 Christians in Japan. Con versions still multiplied until per secution began in earnest under Taikosama in 1597. When all was over in 1650 and Japan effectively closed to all foreigners, over 200,000 martyrs had died for the faith. But the Christians of Xovier and his suc cessors hod died gloriously — three of them were canonized saints and two hundred and five declared blessed. Xavier had built the church of Japan upon o rock thot could not wash away. Catholicism persevered in Jopan through over two hundred years without priests of the sacra ments. When on Edict of Toleration was issued in 1873, the Church in Japan began to grow once more. It has come a long way since then, but Catholicism is still a very small minority among Japanese beliefs. The abolition of State Shintoism has given Catholicism perhops its greatest op portunity to date. Now, more than ever before, Japan is ready for the harvest, but if the workers ore'not at hand, the opportunity may be lost. Four hundred years ogo this Decern*ber 3, St. Francis Xavier died on San Chian, believing that he had failed. But he had not failed — not even as the world judges failure. China lay unconquered before him, but Japan behind him hod seen the first preaching of the Gospel. Xovier was convinced that the key to the conversion of Japan lay in China, that once China was converted to Christ, Japan would quietly follow. Perhaps the great Saint was not so wrong after all. Even today, in the face of fanatical persecution, Chinese Catholics far outnumber those in Jopan. Perhaps in. the Providence of God, Japan must awoit the con version of China before she herself grows strong in the faith. The dream is not impossible. And if some day, Chinese missionaries go forth to the conversion of Japan, it will be Xavier's first missionary |bumey to Japan four hundred years ago that made the dream come true. City detective Floyd Niswonger got o straight answer to a straight question. He asked a man picked up on a suspicion of illegal entry into the United States: "How did you get into this country?" The mon replied: "Mister, I'm o full-blooded Sioux Indian, I wos bom here. How did you get here?" NOVEMBER, 1952 29 FOOTPRINTS A Missionary’s Prayer by Alfredo de Io Cruz Aeon-deep are the furrows Thot the wind-ripped sea Sears and has seared across These alien sands; Ageless the whited patterns That the blue-lit vault above Has framed Through time and timelessness; And young in the deathless spring Of life renewed, The cogon tuft and palm frond Weave in their ceaseless dance against The pallid Eastern sky. But see! There blooms in this mindless moss Yet nr,ore! The faces rise from shadow into substance! The nations of the East Here move and think, mend plows, build homes Here live and love. Here die and are reborn. in sweat, But hear, Francisco, is not this the seo That racked the Spanish galleon. Stung eyes that peered for Trovancore, Flung billows in mocking monody against The isle men call San Cion? Wos it this sky, Francisco, thot framed your vast Horizons, earth-unbounded, that smiled On Goo's hovels, newly-won to Christ os fruit Of the seed of Thomas; Thot blazed in power and beauty a Southern Cross Each night upon your eyes. Upon your bock? 30 THE CROSS Hove you not seen as I do now, Francisco, The greening life in every blade and leaf. Whose summer will not die? And whisper to me, Francis, have you burned With joy thot passes sense (But writhes in blinding pain That human strength is finite!) When in Malacca's mists appeared The faces and the souls Who move and think, mend plows, build homes in sweat Who die and — through his love and yours! — who are reborn? You hove seen, Francisco, And your love still haunts the East; Whenever the dawn wind sighs across a beach. Whenever the dying sun pours flame on the Eastern skies, Whenever the Chrism of Grace Prints life on flesh and souls. Your fire still burns. Your feet still walk! Wrestlers with God, molder of hearts and of nations, Saint of the bold, saint of the strong! We who have glimpsed, but cannot match, xThe stride of the giants of God, We kneel in the East's new dawn And ask of you This single boon: "Give us souls, Francisco!" The White Fathers have a native seminary in Tangunyika Vicariate, Afri ca, and judging from some samples recently transcribed by the MISSION DIGEST, the students do not readily grasp the nuances of English. Writing about his vacation experiences, one student commented: "During the holidays they taught me how to puddle a canoe and how to stir it " Another, speaking of ordination ceremonies: "Some of the students ore dickens and some sub-dickens." From a description of the Wedding at Cana: "The servants took the water made wine to the bridge-room." "Everyone at first gives good wine, and ■afterwards that which is worn out." From the story of the Good Samaritan: "Having killed him a little, they left him and passed away." NOVEMBER, 1952 31 If God Were Only God by E. G. Salvador, S. J. If He were only the Creator, the All-powerful, the All-knowing, man would hove every reason to live in constant fear, trembling and an xiety. Man would have some excuse to leave God, to ignore Him, to for get Him. A man for whom God is only God, might never know happi ness; he might even consider Him os an arch-enemy of his happiness; then he would run away from God, would try to erase Him from his mind, for get Him. But most fortunately God is not only God. He is also a Father, yes, a Father. Understand it. Feel it. God the All-mighty, the All-knowing is also "my Father."—"Thy Fother who seeth in secret will repay thee." "Your Father knoweth what is need ful for you, before you ask Him." If you forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences." "I ascend tc My Father and to your Father, to My God and to your God." Thus therefore shall you pray: Our Fattier who are in heaven..." Therefore. . God is also my Father. Let man try to look into life, into all that life stands and is meant for, into its various changes, vicissitudes, surprises, so-called inconsistencies and so-called unreasonable trials and sufferings, through this lens: God's Fatherhood of men. That's what man needs: a God who is his Father. That's what the family of men, the whole world, looks for: a God who is also a loving and provident Father. But men had Him, God and Father, all this time. And yet like the pro digal son men .keep leaving God and insist in staying away from Him. But how and where men will ever find peace and. order, happiness and se curity outside of God, our Father? The prodigal son could not; and so his trembling, hungry lips began to form painfully the words: "I will rise and will go to my Fa. . . Fa. . . ther, and say to him: F. . .Fa. . .ther, I have sinned against heaven and be fore thee..." O, that men may have the wisdom of the returning prodigal son to go back to God and to call Him: FATHER. Policeman: "Can't you reod, lady? You can't pork here." Lody driver: "But officer, the sign soys, 'Fine for parking.' " 32 THE CROSS Dear Miss Marlene, I am a 19 year old student. Three months ago I was strongly at tracted to a mon because of his gentlemanliness and sound reasoning abilities. Lost week he express his noble intentions to me. I hod been waiting for thot proposal lor a quite a time. dawn and accepted him. and I therefore could not turn him However, I begun entertaining doubts about his sincerity. What shall I do? By accepting him did it mean an automatic engagement? Deor I. L., What on earth made you accept the proposal of. one whom you had known for only three months? This indicates that you .are still not moture enough to consider the married state. Among other things, you ale still 19 and a student. It would be best for you not to fall into these "engagement" affairs until you have grown older ond are capable of sizing up a man moturely. It is all very well to love a man for hit gentlemanly qualities. But then there are other factors to be taken Into account, such M compatibility, earning power, morals, etc. And these things cannot be observed in three months. At the least you should know the men for 6 year before you con get 0 fairly goad appraisal Of his character. Wait far some time more, develop more friends, end don't let physical attraction moke you fate* your head. There is nothing wtbng in Breaking up this "engageMont" as you ore not bound Io him in any way. Deor Miss Marlene, Last time I wrote you I didn't explain myself clearly enough for fem of revealing by identitiy. Now I’ll do so. NOVEMBER, 1952 33 My parents aren't the selfish domineering, dictatorial kind who want me to be an old mad. Of this I am positively sure. They just object to my present fiance because he came from that it'll be a disgrace to our family and are a seminary. My parents say afraid for what people will soy. Sometimes I think that they are right, yet I can't get myself to break with my fiance with whom I think I will be happy. I can't Still make a decision. Greatly Perplexed. Deor Greatly Perplexed, If that be the only objection of-your parents then I think you are not doing anything wrong by prefering this mon. In the first place, I presume that after due consultation with his spiritual director your fiance has found that the life of a priest was not meant for him. He is then free to choose another state of life which he sincerely believes is for him. It is quite uncharitable to look with suspicion upon a person .who has left the convent walls for another stote of life. However, if there be some dubious reason for his -having left the seminory then it would be best to clarify this from other sources. His parish priest may be able to shed some light into this matter. Now offer having assured yourself that everything is in order then you are free to morry him if you wish despite the opposition of your parents provided thot you are both in a position to carry on the burdens 0* a married- life. Dear Miss Marlene, At 32 I am still single. Reason: I forced myself to get out of engagement after the first and the second men were turned down by my parents for reasons of their own, though I was terribly in love with both. Un fortunately, I have to follow my parents for love of them. Would .it be a grove challenge to my parents if I were to go against their will the next time I foil in love wth another tnan who. may come my way now in case they disapprove our marriage again? Unfortunate Deor Unfortunate, There may be several reasons why yOur parents object to your marriage. Perhaps they moy be very ill and you ore the only person who is topoble of helping them out. Or perhaps they have thought thot the men with 34 THE CROSS whom you were engaged were not capable of supporting you without your parents' help. And so on for many other reasons. But if the reason of your parents is none other than that they just want to keep you by their side although they could very well do without you, then you certainly are not bound to obey them. You are of age andhave a right to choose your state of life. However, if you choose to be with your parents rather thon hurt their feelings then that is your own lookout. I only say that you will not be doing wrong if you oppose their wishes and marry for the reasons mentioned. Dear Miss Marlene, I am 19 years old. I am concerned about two of my suitors. One, "G", has been faithful to me ever since we were in our elementary grades, but I have no feeling for him. He loves me fact his parents, brothers and sister often visit like me. My parents like this man. sincerely, and as a matter us and have also come to My other suitor, "C", is the one I really care for and love. In fact I accepted him. He is as well off and as likeable as "G". One thing I noted is that his parents moy not like me, and when I mentioned this matter to him he told me that he is already of age and was willing to marry me, come what may. Naw to whom will I give my heart? Undecided Dear Undecided, Plainly, "C" is the man you love. Then what are you worrying about as to whom you will give your heart? One of the impediments of marriage is the absence of mutual love. You certainly are not going to risk marrying a man you cannot love. Since you prefer "C" and since he has already told you thot he will marry you despite his parents' opposition then moke up your mind thot you will marry the man you love and not someone etle just because you wish to please your parents. What if your family has a liking for the other fellow. If you yourself do not know whom you reolly love then the trouble is with yourself. You ore not yet mature enough to make a decision. And in that cose better let some time pass by. Of course I am presuming that you hove studied the reasons why your parents prefer "G” rather than "C"? This is very important. NOVEMBER, 1952 35 Dear Miss Marlene, We are a group of girls at present studying in one of well-known girls' colleges. Our problem is the same as what is happening to the young hearts of today. These last few days we have a crush for a certain young man who some times visits our school. He is known to many girls, and the worst is thot we do not know him. We want to meet him. What shall we do? Is it proper if we write him or introduce ourselves to him? Lonely Hearts. Dear Lonely Hearts, A "crush" has never done anyone any good. Do be sensible enough and don't let your heads whirl just because of a young man who visits your school. There ore a lot of other young men around, I can ossure Deor Miss Marlene, Being a boy of 17 years I begin to realize that to love cannot be avoided. I, at my age, do not experience it yet, but I know that sooner or later I'll develop a certain feeling towards a girl. But lately I have been asking myself if it is time for me to fall in love. I mean, if I am not too young to consent to my friends' suggestion that I should court some of the girls in our place. And one more ques tion: How will I know that a girl loves me or not? Boy Dear Boy, Being a boy of 17 yeors you certainly ore not yet in a position to do any courting. The suggestion of your friends is certain to lead you into trouble. You will regret it very much later on if you follow’ their immature advice. Don't worry now about how a girl shows her love to a boy. You will find that out in due time as you grow older and maturer. If you want 36 THE CROSS to amount to anything wait until you are older and have finished your studies and are in a good earning position. The feeling that you may get towards a girl is but natural. You are reaching the stage when a young boy is stepping into monhood. Just be friends with t^ie girls you know and nothing more. Dear Miss Marlene, Deep in my heart I feel that I am in love with a girl who, for quite a long time now, is still unaware of it. I refrained from telling her so for before I have known her i have been looked upon by both her parents ond elder: as a member of their family. As far os I know we have no relations, just the love and respect for each other. My filial relationship started in the province. They used to spend their vacation there. When I come to Manila, I am always welcomed at their home, and that is when and where I came to know and fell in love with this girl. Will you please advise me the best thing to do so that I could express my heart's desire but not break my good company with the family? Dear Junior, I am presuming that you are already of age, with a career earning you a sizeable income, otherwise it would be very foolish for you to get yourself involved in love affairs and thus risk the donger of incurring the suspicions of the family of Hie girl ond losing their liking for you. However, if both of you ore ready for marriage, thot is, if both of you are of age ond you know that her parents won't object to their daughter's contemplating marriage then you may gradually try finding out if the girl has any personal liking for you beyond thot of mere friendship. The safest procedure is to presume that she does not have any particular liking for you until you are certain that she manifests some partiality towards you. Then you can gradually show her thot you like her by giving her some little gifts now and then, and dropping some verbal hints of your liking for her. Never make your approach too obvious. The other steps will come naturally. Deor Miss Marlene, I hove been engaged to a man for two years now and I have known him for four years. My parents object to this because he is still at his fourth year in mechanical engineering ond I am still in first year college. NOVEMBER, 1952 37 My fiance plans to go to Japan after his board exam and then come back for me whether he makes good or not after two or three years. I agreed to that because anyway I'm not also in a hurry to get married for I'm still in first year. When my parents found out about our engagement they forbade me to go out with him even with a chaperone. And so oil he could do was to I told my parents that I am not getting married until some time to come. So why don't they let me go out with him once in a while?. . . . I know my fiance meant what he said when he stated thot he will marry me only when he able to support me. But I can't wait ?or that any more. Either he will marry me now or I'll hove to give him up so that I can have peace of mind for once here at home. I think he doesn't see it on my side. If he could only understand my situation, or if he loves me that much, he will do something about it. Dear X, It is quite clear that your parents and your fiance are in the right. In the first place you made the mistake of getting engaged at an early age when it was not prudent of you to do so. Long engagements only result in heartaches and headaches, and the possibility of a break increases with the years. Your fiance is quite right when he insists in not getting married until he is capable of supporting you. He is but using his head and this is not in anyway indicative thot he does not like you. Secondly, in the first part (of your letter you agreed to wait, but in the closing paragraphs you state that you wish to get married as soon as possible, and thot you can't wait any longer. It just doesn't make sense. Do you want to wait (and I advise you to do so) or not? The only solution is to keep being friends until the time when your fiance is able to support you. You need not worry about the coming years. You ore still young. Or do you fear to lose him? If he changes his mind, you will get to know this in due time, then it just shows thot he is not constant enough for you. So, just keep your head steady. FiniA your studies, get to know mere friends, enjoy their company, forget about your engagement for the time being, and you will be happier, your parents will be at ease, ond your fiance can mind what he has to do. And for the rest trust the future to God. 38 THE CROSS The Value of Novenas From the Ligourian Sometimes one hears remarks made to the effect that novenas cf public or private prayer to the Blessed Mother or to some saint are of little value, or that they are all but uni versally productive of abuses. Such remarks usually arise from either ignorace or sloth, because reason, faith and experience all attest to the value of continuous proyer. 1. A novena consists of special prayers and spiritual exercises on nine consecutive days or on a spe cial day of the week for nine con secutive weeks. Its value is based on the revealed fact that prayer is Poth necessary and effective and that the more we pray the better off we are, ond on the psycholo gical fact that we can get our selves to pray more faithfully when we set definite times and occa sions for prayer. The Bible is filled with examples of Our Lord and His friends setting apart cer tain times and places for prayer. The first novena was made by the apostles when they spent nine days in retirement and proyer waiting for the coming of the Holy Ghost. 2. To soy that novenas are of little value is to speak in ignoran-.e of the countless recorded and ur • recorded answers to novenas of prayer by which God has clearly shown His pleasure in such prayers. These answers often take on the clear character of the miraculous. They appear both in the spiritual and the temporal order; in the for mer, by good confessions, conver sions, surrender to God's will in sorrow, the overcoming of vices, etc.; in the latter, by restorations to health, financial assistance, so lution of mental problems, and many other favors as startling ond often as incidental as the chang ing of water into wine at Cana. 3. Some call it an dbuse that there are people who pray at no venas who do not go to Mass, or who are living in habits of serious sin. The truth is that it may be only through proyer that they will ever receive the grace to go to Mass and to overcome their evil habits. It is on observation of all who have hod any experience with souls that the last link between a soul and God is prayer; that there is some hope for a sinner if he proys; thot oil hope departs when he stops praying. It is an abuse MISSING PAGE/ PAGES p. 39 40 THE CROSS For IV omen Only Maria Clara B. PETE "You fools, you blundering fools" boomed an excited voice from the stairs to our Office thot shook every book, every typewriter, every one in the room into stunned silence. Cought in the tension of the moment' no one moved a nerve. Pete could only open his mouth. "Couldn't you think up an easier way of getting hurt?" The voice added, and then we saw Mang Kiko. Strangely enough, Mang Kiko, is not a very excitable man. When he tells you he fought in Bataan far seven days and nights without food or drink, and walked the notorious Death March where death seemed to pick on everyone, you cannot detect one tinge of emotion in his voice nor on his countenance. For Mang Kiko is by nature a very calm thinker. But on this doy, it was a different Mang Kiko; he boomed a warning; he spake as though he saw something fatal and disastrous at the end of our road. What awaits us in the future is not for us to know; whatever that will be, our fote is in your arms, Maria Claras! If by some unhappy coincidence, you should pick up this little mogaxine and find this column empty somedoy, don't strain too much. You con guess what happened to poor Pete and Pat. All Saints Day is a feast of the on the first vigil and an highest rank, celebrated of November, having a octave, and giving place to no other feast. It was known as All Hallows until recent years in England. It was instituted to honor all the saints, known and unknown, and to supply any deficiencies in the faith ful's celebration of saints' feasts dur ing the year. At first only martyrs and St. John the Baptist had special feast days, but other saints were gradually added to the list of those persons who in life have given them selves to God in such a complete manner as to be declared of His elect. In the early days of the Church it was the custom to gather upon the NOVEMBER, 1952 41 of 1952 anj PAT spot of martyrdom of a saint and to solemnize the anniversary every, year. Then, in the fourth century, the neighboring dioceses would combine their gatherings, to interchange them, to exchange relics and then in time to join in a common feost. This come about principally because of the fact that frequently groups of martyrs suffered on the same day, and the number of martyrs increased so much possible. There just weren't enough days in the year to go around. So the Church wisely set aside a special and all-enveloping day on which to honor the memory of each and every one of its saints. A woman will always be an enigma. People misspell her strength by calling her "weak." She has some kind of a' mysterious strength, peculiar only to her kind—a strength thot can bow down any man to a helpless defeat. She is equipped with some kind of devastating logic, learned not from books, but even more powerful than Plato or Aristotle; an inexhaustible reservoir of shifty judgments, which makes of philosophers but stuttering beginners. Take our own, dear, dear Diona, for example. When she first gave us a real, big piece of her mind, about the blissful ignorance of our young Maria' Claras on the art of needle and thread, we hoped that she had said her last piece on the subject. We conceded all her arguments, obligingly took down her "sewing hints," and promised to put in a good word for her in this column. But now she insists we must print the following fashion hints: I . Select the most becoming pat tern for your figure. 2. To find your type of figure check your actual measurements (bust, waist, hip, back length from the neck to the hem) with the stand ard measurements for your height on 42 THE CROSS 3. The average figure (five feet for the Filipinos) can wear almost any style, so long as it is kept in pro portion to the figure. 4. If your bust is large in pro portion to your waist and hips, wear clothes with darts under the orm and on the shoulder to give fullness over the bust. No frilly collars unless you want to look matronly. 5 If you have that "hippy" look wear your skirts slightly flared, smooth-fitting from the waist to the fullest part of the hip. Have any decorations or trimmings at of your dress, so thot the hips will not attract attention. 6. If you are thick through the middle use belts of the same mate rial as the dress. 7. If you have a short neck, use a pattern with a V neck or a deeo U neck-line. 8. If your neck is too long, you con soften the line by a pattern which includes small, close, highfitting collars and neckline. 9. If you have broad shoulders, avoid too much shoulder padding. 1 0. The narrow shoulders can be built up by good shoulder pads. Pat has an old tale about women and camel*. A traveler and a camel once found camp in a lonely desert. The winds were wild and the night was cold. The traveler hastily coiled into his blanket, leaving the camel tethered outside the tent. In the middle of the night, the camel snored hi* master out of a dreamless sleep. "May I put my hind legs in?" the camel asked, "It's terribly cold out out here." "Go ahead," the master conceded, and turned away to sleep. A little later, he was awakened again. The camel wanted, his front legs in. More eager to sleep than argue, the master sleepily nodded. Finally, before the tired master could clutch back the horried wings of sleep, the camel turned again: "Will you get out, so I can put my head in?" To find the parallel, Pat says, one doesn't need to stretch hit imagination too far. When (dear, dear) Diana first came, she only had "hints." Now she has "instructions." She did not only insist that these instructions be published, but even wrangled her way, cameMike, into a permanent space on this column. Can it be that finally we shall meet with the same fate, master-like? "Print this," she just said — and here it is: Sow a lovely and unusual group were dressed in bridol costume— of dolls in a department store window bride, groom, matron of honor, bridesin a U.S. city not long ago. They maids, best man, ushers, flower girl NOVEMBER, 1952 43 and ring bearer. And their costumes were crocheted! The bride wore white, the matron of honor gold, the attendants orchid, pink, aqua and green. Their gowns were bouffant, and the attendants of the bride wore large, floppy hats, which, too, were of crochet. The men in the party wore black pin strip trousers and black coats, black ties and white shirts. The little ring bearer wos in white trousers and coat and white shirt and tie. They wore bou tonnieres of white. Even these were crocheted. Most intriguing were the crocheted ties and the crocheted pin striped trousers. The ruffled sham on the white satin pillow which bore the ring was crocheted. Thus everything was crocheted but the bride's veil, her jewelry, which was of pearl beads, and that of her. at tendants, of gold beads, and the tiny flowers and ribbons in the bouquets and upon the hats which the maidsin-waiting wore. We thought what a fine project this would be for a church or club group to make for a bazaar, or for table decorations for a bridal party or shower. Several women could work on it at the same time and it would not take long. The stitches were simple, mostly shell or scalloped, and could be easily duplicated. A friend of ours dropped by the other day. He had been on ace athlete of his time, the first ond last word on the lips of all basketball fans. He had settled, won o very charming wife (we thought), ond had been blessed with the most beautiful kids a father could ask for. But on this particular day, he (for reasons of his personal sofety, we have withheld his name) looked like the wrath of God, a perfect study of disappointment and frustration. We failed to tell him, however, thot he was not alone; that we are not as lucky as he thinks we are; nor have missed anything. Here, in this book-bound office, the hollow clicking of typewriters is sometimes interrupted by the shrill demanding voice of a petite, charming lady whom we called after some goddess, Diana. Now she's talking about mustard, etc; Do you think of mustard as some thing to smear on hotdogs and let it go at that? Mustard was discovered by acci dent, in 1720, by a housewife who pulverized the seeds into a fine, dry powder, and found that it varied the taste of her foods. Today this is called mustard flour or dry mustard. It ranks second to pepper in popularWe like to use it in casserole dishes, just a dash of dry mustard or even a blob of prepared mustard stirred in. It is good, too, in baked beans, in fact, it does something for any food that you put salt and pepper in. And mother always used it in her maca 44 THE CROSS roni-cheese-tomato dishes. If you have never used mustard with fish, try it the next time. Especially in baked fish. Sprinkle in a mixture of crumbs, butter, thyme and dry mus tard before you place the fish in the Household hints: Quick drying — To dry kitchen utensils quickly, place them in the oven, while the oven is cooling from use. This will prevent metal utensils from rusting and wooden shredders and spoons from getting smelly and moldy. Keeping salt fine ond separated — To keep salt from getting moist and lumpy add ond mix a little rice in the shaker. Empty corners — To brighten empty corners place an attractive plant on any nice pedestal or ontique vase to attract attention. Refrigerators — To keep the refrigerator from getting smelly from fish put a piece of charcoal in any place, -or near the fish to absorb the gaseous odor. Scaling fish — To prevent the scales of the fish (when scaling) from flying around, scale the fish in a basin of water. Easy way to moke soup — Sopa de ajos: 3 ears crushed gorlic 1/2 Bermuda onions, chopped fine 2 spoonfuls butter Meat or chicken broth salt, if necessary grated cheese 2 slices toasted bread. Fry the garlic in butter. Add the onion, toast, little butter and pour the broth, season. When brought to a boil, pass through a callan^er. Put on fire once more. Add cheese when taste is all right, drop the toasted bread cut in cubes and remove from fire. Fruit salad: 1- 2 cup diced pineapple 2- 3 diced apples 2-3 diced bananas 2 tb. calamansi juice Papaya, diced NOVEMBER, 1952 45 Mix and add boiled dressing which is made from 4 eggs, 1 cup milk and 3 tobsp. sugar, beating the eggs first and adding sugar and milk. Heat in double bailer while beating or stirring constantly with a ladle. Another way easy to moke soup: Misua soup: 2 tabsp. margarine Panfry 3 clover garlic 1 sliced medium sixed onion Add— 6 cups meat stock, salt, pepper to toost Cut three knots misua and add 2 peach eggs Sprinkle chopped green onions on top Tasty relleno: 1 chicken, boned 1-1 1/2 cup chooped pork 1/2 cup ground Vienna sausage 1-2 Spanish sausages (1 to be ground and the rest in cut in strips) 1/4 cup grated cheese 1/4 cup raisins salt, paper, little wine 2 row eggs 1/4 cup lean ham strips, few strips fat * 1/4 cup pickles 1 /4 cup pitted olives 1-2 hard boiled eggs Mix all except items from * which is used for decoration. Stuff, sew up, truss, place in pan, breast up. Add 1/2 cup broth. Cover breast with 2 slices of bacon. Bake 4009 F 10 minutes, 300’ F until golden brown and done. Serve with gravy made from the chopped gizzard and liver of the chicken with a little cornstarch and water, seasoned with salt and pepper. Of course no one would think of making potato salad without mustard. Put some in the dressing as usual, but when you have the ingredients ready, before mixing in the dressing, sprinkle some dry mustard judiciously over the potatoes,, eggs, and what ever else you have in it. Here is a dish you will like for buffet serving, late picnics out in the back yard. Cut the center out of a red or white cabbage to form a shell. Slice the cut-out cabbage fine. Mix with shredded carrots, green pepper and celery (or any pre ferred salad mixture). Toss with 46 THE CROSS dressing made by adding 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes, 1/4 teaspoon onion salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt and I teaspoon dry mustard to one cup mayonnaise. Pile back into cab bage shell and sprinkle with paprika. Most historians agree that women ignited the first flames of civilization. Soon after the fatal moment when Eve sunk her teeth on the forbidden apple, the strong, massive doors of the Garden of Eden slowly and softly closed behind the first exiles of God's love—Adan & Eve. A lonely pair of broken hearts, consigned to a life of seeking .the Garden of Eden by toil, sweat, and tears. From then on, man wandered over the face of the earth, galloped across the wide open places, seeking feverishly the lost Garden of Ease, never quite finding it, insistently seeking, nevertheless. Meanwhile, the women were left behind in caverns to cook the meals, mind the baby and wait alone by a fireside. On a sudden, it seemed, man ceased to roam. Gradually, the desire to wonder and explore and seek new fortunes, left him. Slowly, but surely, he discovered among the dark, sinister shadows of the cave some semblance of that never, never land which once was his, but lost forever. That elusive something which he had been seeking "H this while, but could not quite grasp in his puny hands. Beneath the massive, forbidding walls of the cave, man found "homd." Thus gleams the first flame of that glorious phenomenon we call civilization. marble floors and gilded walls, the home has assumed different forms— but its tenderness and comfort remain the same. Within its walls rest all that men have built and aspired for. The family, state, the government. the native land must seek their strength within the strength of those four How did the women do it? How could such frail, fingers mould some thing so strong.... so tender? Whot is her precious secret? Tony: "That means fight where 1 come from!" Paul: "Well, why don't you fight then? I'm ready." "Cause 1 ain't where 1 come from." NOVEMBER, 1952 47 THE HOLY SOULS IN PURGATORY by James L. Lynch, S. J. From the Messenger of the Sacred Heart During the month of November all fervent Catholics are particularly mindful of their departed poients, relatives, and friends. Catholics in general ore devoted at ail times 4o the Ho'y Souls in Purgatory, but especially during the month of November, which is tradi tionally dedicated to the Foithful De parted. This devotion is inspired by the human affection of the living for their parents, relatives, and friends, who hove passed from this life to appear before the judgment seat of God, and now, olthough assured of Heaven, endure the temporol punish ment due to their sins. Thot the Foithful on earth by their good works con help the Holy Souls is evident from the pltiyers of the Church, which ore filled with con fidence in the intercessory power of the Saints in Heoven ond the Faith ful on earth. In the Litany for the dying, we call upon the Angels and Archangels, ond oil -the choirs of the just, to "pray for him." The priest, speoking in the name of the Church, oppeols to the omnipotent Judge of the living ond the dead to forgive past offenses ond grant him full re mission of all his sins. Certainly there is every reoson to be cfraid of appearing before the infinite goodness of God in the state of mortal sin, and worthy of eternol condemnation. But we know that even when a man dies in the stote of grace, it is not usually true that his soul is perfectly ready,to enter Heavep. The Council of Trent teaches: "If anyone soys thot after the reception of the grace of justification the guilt is so remitted and the debt of eternal punishment so blotted out to every repentant sinner that no debt, of temporal punishment. remoins to be discharged either in this world or in Purgatory before the gotes of Heaven can be opened, let him be anathema." It is through Revelation that we 48 THE CROSS know of the existence of Purgotory. Holy Scripture itself does not tell us very much, but oral tradition has been incorporated in the decrees of the great Councils and in the preaching of the Fathers ond Doctors of the Church. The Council of Trent's Decree concerning Purgatory begins os fol"Since the Catholic Church, in structed by the Holy Ghost, has, fol lowing the sacred writings and the ancient tradition of the Fathers, taught in sacred councils thot there is a Purgatory, ond that the souls there detained are aided by the suffrages of the Faithful ond chiefly by the acceptable Sacrifice of the altor, the holy council commands the Bishops that they strive diligently to the end thot the sound doctrine of Purgatory, transmitted by the Fathers ond sacred councils, be be lieved and maintained by the Faithful of Christ, and be everywhere taught and preached." The purpose of Purgotory is men tioned by the same Council, when it soys concerning the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass: "Wherefore, according to the tra dition of the Apostles, it is right ly offered not only for the sins, punishments, satisfactions, ond other necessities of the Faithful who are living, but also for those departed in Christ but not yet fully purified." How imperfect a soul can be after mony years in this world may be illustrated by a single example. Sup pose a great sinner repents on his deathbed ond wins mercy. Is he now ready for Heaven after a life of blasphemous longuoge, neglect of Mass on Sunday, cruel disregard of rights to life and property, callous indifference to the corporal and spirit ual necessities of others? Mony who never commit mortal sins are guilty of repeated venial sins up to the very end. All this must be atoned for either on earth or in Purgotory. On earth, this process requires time as well os good will. A sermon on the careless use of the Holy Name may cause a strong resolution to be formed almost instantaneously, to gether with a most sincere shame and sorrow for the past. Is this moment of conversion enough to eliminate the habit of years? The lips will begin to form some customary expression; the persistent impulse must be checked and gradually overcome. Reverence for the Holy Name must be increased until it is always pro nounced with some nearer approach to thot love which filled*.the Heart of Mary when she called* the Son of God by His name. So also in Purgotory, the purifying process tokes time. The soul hos become so deformed by sin that it is not reoj^ to present itself before the face of God. It is hard for us to realize now how ashamed we ought to be because of sin, but after a holy death the soul is in a new condition, and has a better under standing of many truths. The meaning of the great com mandment becomes much clearer: NOVEMBER, 1952 49 "Thou sholt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart ond with thy whole soul and with thy whole mind." In Purgatory, the soul cannot be tempted ond drawn away ■from God by beautiful moteriol objects, nor can it be distracted from a supreme spiritual hunger for the sight of God. All the energy which was spent in acquiring money ond food ond physical comforts is now directed to word one single object — God Him self. Postponement of the actual vision of God because of the imper fection of the soul causes agony. It is not a suffering which comes from tom flesh and broken limbs. Its nature is foreshadowed in the words of the Psalms: "O God, my God, to Thee do / watch at break of day. For Thee my soul hath thirsted. . . oh, how many, ways! In a desert land, and where there is no way and no water: so in the sanctuary have I come before Thee, to see Thy power and glory." "For what have I in Heaven? Ana besides Thee what do I desire upon earth? For Thee my flesh and my heart hath fainted away. Thou art the God of my heart, and the God that is my portion forever." "Haw lovely are Thy tabernacles, 0 Lord of hosts! My soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God." During the long hours of Purgatory, meditation on the wonderful Provid ence of God which has brought the soul to the very gates of heaven with the certoin knowledge that they will open and reveal the glory of God, stirs up depths of gratitude and expectation. A profound humility changes the whole disposition of the soul; infallibility bestows a new dig nity upon every thought; a wise jus tice sees every possession as a gift of the Most High God; a supreme charity is strong ond tender towards every living thing. The inpouring of grace into the soul produces a most reso lute spirit of amendment, fixed, per monent, eternal. But in the midst of all this new ness of life ond transformation, there must also be a poignant sorrow at the thought of having offended God so often and so seriously, so thought lessly or so deliberately. The humilia tion of seeing the ugly effects of sin fully revealed to the soul Itself arouses shame and confusion. Now, by Divine aid, the mind rec ognizes spiritual deformity induced in the soul by sinful actions — rebel lions against the Providence of God, constant complaining against the way things are in the world, long indul gence of the flesh, worries, jealousies, hatreds, failure to talk and think in a manner becoming to disciples of Christ — this is the beginning of Purgotory, wherein virtue, through the abundant grace of God, given in new and undreamed of measure, begins to chonge the imperfect soul into a perfect soul, filled with the love of God. It is commonly taught that the Holy Souls olso experience pains of 50 THE CROSS sense, because physical punishment for sin is decreed by the law of God both during this life and the next life. On earth, disordered actions fre quently cause bodily pain originating either in the body itself, or resulting from external causes released against the body through improper control of natural forces, as in the case of crim inal accidents. In the Book of Wis dom, we read that created forces are sometimes "made- fierce against the unjust for their punishment." In hell, certainly, God uses fire os a punishment of sin. Since it is such an apt instrument for causing pain, it is not unlikely that it is also used in Purgotory. It seems natural that God should manifest His hotred of sin in some way beyond mere words. There ought to be some action of God against the sinner. Vehement denunciations and Divine threats of violence are not inspired without a real meaning and intention behind the words. While we are not obliged to be lieve all that holy people have de rived from their visions of the Holy Souls, nevertheless it is reasonable to think that these private revelations have been given to awaken dread of the punishments of sin, and sympathy for those who ore actually enduring Purgotory. Our Holy Mother the Church has ■ an immense solicitude for the suf fering Souls. She looks upon them as her own children who are being punished by their Father, justly, but severely; they are put in a place of confinement, there to think of their offenses until the severity of the exile brings them to a clearer idea of the nature and depth of their past wicked ness, and they are ready to come forth chastened, humble, repentant, and blessed forever. In the meantime, the Church, being a Mother, is impelled to do every thing in her power. She enters in spirit into the place of punishment, and, in no way disapproving of the discipline of the Father, is most an xious for this awful time to be short ened and to pass away. She gives to all the Foithful on earth free access to the great treas ury of Indulgences which have accu mulated, due to the inestimable merits of our Divine Lord, of the Blessed Mother and of the Saints. (These merits have a satisfactory value, which can be applied by an act of charity to the Holy Souls. Some of the Faithful are so gen erous that they make what is called a "Heroic Act of Charity," by which all the satisfactory value of their prayers and good works, as well as the suffrages received after death, is offered to God in behalf of the Souls in Purgatory. We ought to pray for them, be cause their agony is fearful. They can experience no variety of seasons and hours; there are no drugs to ease their sufferings, there is no sleep to bring relief. And yet they do not wish to escape, even for a moment, from the purify ing flames which make them deserv ing of all pity. Their attitude toword NOVEMBER, 1952 51 suffering is very different from thot of many souls on earth who are tempted by a spirit of discontent and rebellion. The Holy Souls are so con firmed in grace thot all sin becomes impossible. Neverthless they realize how un wise they were not to take advantage of many Indulgences which would hove satisfied in great measure the justice of God offended by sin, ond would have rendered unnecessary much of the torment they experience. They realize how unwise they were not to correct habits of venial sin, habits of vanity, habits of foul lan guage for which they must now make reparation. Nothing that they themselves can do will hasten the natural term of their sentence; but God, in His in finite mercy, allows our charity to aid them so thot without enduring the full measure of punishment they moy leove Purgatory ond enter into the joy of the Lord, truly grateful to those who helped them when they were in great need. It is good to pray for them and also to imitate them, because they are deegly humble, supremely hope ful, utterly resigned to the will of God. Although intensely eager for the Bea tific Vision which alone can satisfy their enraptured yearning, they are not guilty of the least impatience, of the least resentment. They know that the day of Resurrection will come, when the expression of each countenance will reveal a beauty of soul above and beyond all eorthly beauty. Not one evil desire will be written there, no trace of post self indulgence will remain. In Purgatory, they are being made worthy of the promises of Christ, worthy to look actually upon the very face of God, without trembling, without fear, without reproach. ONE MIKE TO ANOTHER Irv Kupcinet in his Chicago Sun-Times column tells the story of how the youthful ex-king Michael of Roumania wos recently given a salutary reminder. The young monorch was guest of honor ot a dinner in Toledo, and was seated next to the mayor, Mike DiSalle. Several times in the course of the evening people come up to the mayor as he wos seated at table and talked to him, calling him "Mike" as they did so. Ex-king Michael could not help hearing this, and finally he turned to the mayor and said: "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I could not help hearing all these people address you so vulgarly ias, Mike*. Do you always permit thot?" "Let me give you some advice," replied the mayor. "If your people had called y.ou 'Mike', you'd hove been king o lot longer." 52 THE CROSS .New Tjeit far Cancer by Lawrence Gallon From Pageant Courtesy of USIS Thousonds of men, women, and children with cancer will be olive ond well a year from now because of an important new development imme diately available to doctors every where. In addition, many thousands of other people who do not hove concer, although they have symptoms suggesting it, will be saved hospital ization ond operations. The develop ment—sponge biopsy—is not a cure but is a method of detecting cancer in early stages. The method—so effective and so easily performed that it con be o key to cure—was devel oped by Dr. Sidney A. Gladstone, pathologist ot New York City's Poly clinic Hospital and Medical School. Pathologists have an unusual posi tion. They do not treat patients themselves but ore medicol detectives —men who diagnose disease from samples of blood and tissue. They work in laboratories with all the re sources of equipment which modem science affords, ond they render a great service to medicine. The path ologist helps both surgeon ond doctor to know better what his problem is ond to learn how accurate ore his diagnoses. Where cancer is concerned, all too often, it has been the unpleasant duty of the pathologist to report that tissue studies show late cancer. It is well established that early cancer can be cured in a high percentage of coses. However, even moderately advanced cancer is much less susceptible to cure, and a diagnosis of late cancer is practically o condemnation to suf fering and death. In general, people hove been in fluenced to have regular physical ex aminations but, because of the diffi culty of surgical biopsy, the discovery of early cases of cancer still logged as late as 1948. Thot year Dr. Gladstone set to work to develop o simple test which would reveol cancer in its early stages. Dr. Gladstone got his first ideo about sponge biopsy while he was working on smear techniques. A smear is just what it is called, a smear of body fluid or mucous sec retion on a slide to be examined microscopically. For the cancer test, however, it was unsatisfactory because of the length of time needed to train technicians for its use and because the study of a smeor frequently involved NOVEMBER, 1952 hours of work to isolate the very few concer cells which might show. The smear technique had shown, however, that cancer is not a deeply hidden disease, undetectable except at its core. A cancer throws off small quantities of characteristic cells almost from its inception. Dr. Glad stone concluded that what was needed was a sponge which would have suf ficiently absorbent qualities to pick up cells and tumor tissue. After a search he found two types of sponges which had not only the absorbing qualities, but another and almost equally important quojity. One is gelatine ond the other cellulose—one animal, the other .vegetable connec tive tissue—ond With con be put through all the steps necessary to prepare cancer cells for microscopic examination without being destroyed in the process. Dr. Gladstone also developed spe cial little forceps to hold the sponge and apply it readily to a suspected oreo. Then he worked out a simple technique for handling the sponge once it had been applied and had absorbed tissue fluid, suspended cells, ond particles of tissue. The sponge is placed in formaldehyde for fixation, then is embedded in paraffin, cut into thin sections, ond stained to moke the cells recognizable. Examined by the pathologist under a microscope, cancer cells, singly and in groups, and particles of cancer tissue, show clearly on the surface ond in the interstices of the sponge network. The test was used first at Poly clinic Hospital in 1948. In the first 53 six months it was opplied to 280 cases by 12 different physicians. Many of the doctors were given no special instruction in its use. They were told simply to swob a suspected area and drop the sponge into a bottle of formaldehyde. Since then a total of more than 2,000 patients have been tested at ’Polyclinic with sponge biopsy. Dozens of cancers have been detected in early stages so that lives could be saved. Equally important, mony suspicious sores or ulcers which other wise might hove been subjected to surgical biopsy—a trifling matter if the sore is cancerous but worse than the affliction if the lotter is harm less—have been proved to be harm less by a simple test eosily applied by any doctor and requiring very little time by either patient or practitioner. Dr. Gladstone was awarded the Certificate of Merit for Original In vestigation by the American Medical Association in 1949. The sponge biopsy method has been widely re ported in medical journals and dem onstrated at scientific meetings. It is in routine use in England and Italy and in at Idost one hospital in every State in the United States. There ore indications that the new method moy be applied to lung and stomach cancers. Heretofore its prin cipal use has been for cancers of the cervix, the skin, the rectum, and the mouth, tonsils, and throat. Doctors can use a sponge with a bronchoscope in air passages ond lungs. Small sponges tied to a length of braided silk and swallowed have revealed a 54 THE CROSS number of stomach cancers. The sponge biopsy should be used with ony visible suspicious sore or when any symptom indicates a malignancy in the lower intestinal tract, the cervix, or mouth and oral passages. Dr. Gladstone's work is another step forword in the unceasing battle against disease. Besides saving lives now, it well may open a path which other scientists con follow to further discoveries. SEVEN STAGES OF MAN I . Milk. 2. Milk, vegetables. 3. Milk, ice cream sodas and candy. 4. Steak, coke, French fries, ham and eggs. 5. Pate de foie gras, frogs' legs, Caviar Poulet Royale, hors d'oeuvres, omelette surprise, crepes suxettes, scotch, wine, chompagne. 6. Milk and crackers. 7. Milk. — Chaparral The tall, dignifiend man joined the crowd in front of a bargain counter, in on attempt to get a very special pair of hose for his wife. He inched his way patiently, but was buffeted here and there by the women, and made no progress. Suddenly he lowered his head, stretched out his arms, and barged through the crowd. "Can't you oct like a gentleman?" interrupted o cold feminine voice at his elbow. "I've been acting like o gentleman for the past hour," replied the man, sfill charging forword. "From now on I'm going to act like a lady." Why do you go to college?" "Because I feel so good when vacation time comes." The passenger death rote on scheduled U. S. airlines last year was I .3 fatalities for every 100 million passenger miles. Last year's automobile death rate for 100 million miles: 7.6. NOVEMBER, 1952 55 Reducing Beriberi With Enriched Rice by R. J. Barber From Think Courtesy of USIS Rice is one of the great triumvirate of cereals—the others are wheat and maize—whose discovery made farm ers of primitive men, enabling them to settle down in stable communities and to found civilizations. Rice is believed to be descended from certain plants of the grass family which are known to grow on the borders of lakes in Indio, and from related grasses native to southeast Asia and other tropical regions. Chinese records, which go bock 4,000 years, use the word rice-culture as a synonym for agriculture, although wheat also was grown in China. Today there are many more va rieties of rice than there ore nations of men. There are said to be 1,107 species of rice in India alone, and 1,300 others elsewhere, growing abundantly in hot moist climates, especially in marshy places. Like the other cereals, rice is an inexpensive food. Since it gives a maximum of nourishment for its size ond weight, rice is transported and stored more conveniently than ony other food. Half the people of the world—which has a population of nearly 2,300,000,000—live almost entirely on rice. In some languages, the words for rice and food are identical. Greek travelers told of rice growing in India. Rice reached Syria and North Africa very early and wos known in Italy, where it still is an important crop, by the year 1468. Just how or when it first was intro duced to North America is not known, but experiments with rice planting were conducted in 1647. At the time of the American War for Independ ence (1775-1783), the exports of rice from North America totaled about 66,000,000 pounds a year. At that time, in the United States, the rice stalks were cut with a sickle or cradle, bundled and stacked, ond then threshed with a flail. By the year 1800, crude threshing machines were introduced, and the rice grains were husked and winnowed with the use of water-power in tidewater mills. A method of hulling the grains with millstones was developed in 1832. 56 THE CROSS Stones still ore used for the first stoge of the milling process, which now re lies on steel machinery to scrub ond polish the grains to a peorly white ness. Rice production in the United States reached an all-time high of more thon 89,000,000 bushels in 1949. A principal rice-growing region in the United States is in three volleys of the western State of Colifomio. These ore the Sacramento, Son Joa quin, ond Imperial valleys. Rice farming there is almost completely mechanized. The seed is sown by airplane at the rate of 400 acres a day. First the seed is well soaked. Then it is placed in the airplane and is allowed to drip out as the plane flies low over the rice fields. The back-draft of the propeller distributes the seed evenly into the film of water lying over the level fields. There it sinks into the rich mud ond sooh begins to grow. The California rice fields ore sur rounded by irrigation canals and levees. The film of water retards the growth of weeds and keeps birds away. All through the growing sea son a pumping station will control gates and big pipes keep the water at a uniform, level'. The young rice plants ore bright green. When they turn grey and are three feet tall, and when the ripen ing heads curve over, the water is drained off the fields. In two weeks, large mechanical combines enter the fields. As they move along, the rice stalks fall from the cutting blade onto a conveyor belt which carries them to the threshing section of the machine There the heavy grains are stripped from their stems by metal teeth. The straw is shaken free, while fans blow away the dirt and chaff. Then the rough rice is poured into bags hold ing about 160 pounds each, or it is loaded into the bed of a motor truck, and hauled to a warehouse or directly to the mill. The average person in the United States eats five and a half pounds of rice a year, but this is only a small part of his diet. Other parts of the diet include meat, milk, cheese, fruit, and vegetables. This variety acts as a protection against the wast ing diseases which are caused by food deficiencies. One such disease, beriberi, is caused by lack of thiamine (vitamin Bl), a substance necessary to life which is present in the seed-coats of rice and wheat arid in some other foods. These seed-coats are ground off and discarded in producing the fluffy white rice which many people prefer, and thus the vitamin value is lost. Means now have been developed for restoring these essential food fac tors to rice. The value of the new development was shown dramatically in the Re public of the Philippines. There, in 1946, deaths from beriberi were high. In 1947 a health survey indicated thot as many as one-eighth of the people showed symptoms of the dis ease. During the next year, 63,000 people ate rice specially enriched with thiamine, niacin (an acid), and iron. The death rate among these people NOVEMBER, 1952 57 dropped 67 percent. Meortwhile, 29,000 people in onother oreo continued to eot their usual white rice. The deoth rate among these people in creased during the year. In the area where the death rote from beriberi dropped 67 percent, the remarkable improvement was attri buted to the scientific enrichment of rice. This took place locally at the processing mills. The deoth rate possibly would have been still lower, since mony of those dying were babies too young to eat rice. Their mothers' milk could not nourish them properly until the moth ers themselves hod eaten a suffi cient amount of enriched rice to build up a protective supply of the vitamin m their bodies. Nine months loter the death rate from beriberi in the experimental zone dropped to zero. Moreover, the general health of the people who had eaten enriched rice was found to be measurably improved. The more pleasing appearance of white rice is not the only reason why the vitomin-rich outer coat is ground off. Brown rice requires longer in cooking, which is a serious problem in regions short of fuel. Furthermore, brown rice does not keep well in the tropics. It is subject to attack by insects and often becomes mouldy and rancid. India in some sections hos devel oped methods of processing rice so thot it retains a high proportion of vitamins and has a pleasing appearonce as well. These methods were tested by U.S. Department of Agri culture experts and have been applied to milling in the United States, where the product is known as "converted rice." The rough grains as they come from the fields ore soaked, steamed, and then dried before hull ing. The vitamins ore driven in from the seed-coat all through the Large-scale production of convert ed rice requires highly mechanized equipment, but the process of enrich ing white rice with vitamins is simple and inexpensive. A small port of the milled rice is coated with vitarpins manufactured in the United States. The enriched grains then ore mixed with the untreated rice in the pro portion of one part in 200. The cost of such a program is paid in the Philippines by an increase of onetenth of a cent a pound in the price of rice. "Tell me, Mary," said the pastor to o very old and pious womon of his parish, "What is foith?" "I om ignorant. Father; I hove no education." "Tell me anyway, Mory, for the faith is surely port of your life." Mary reflected for a moment, then she said, slowly; "Well, Father, I guess foith to me means simply taking God ot His Word." No theologian hos ever worked out a better definition than thot. ■ 58 THE CROSS Two decades of matrimonial life have proven that still Pets Is Pests by Joseph A. Breig From the Columbian After twenty yeors of morrioge, my wife ond I hove reduced the Pet Problem in our house to four gold fish. As soon os we get rid of them—as we ore now plotting to do—the problem will be reduced to nothing. We then expect to recover our sanity, our sovereignty over our home, and the right to call our im mortal souls our own. Our conspiracy against the four goldfish has been exceedingly devious. Most people, long since, would have poured the fish down the drain, or strangled them. But we haven't the heart to pour them down the drain, and we wouldn't know how to 3° about strangling them. What we did wos to start o kind of Chomber-of-Commerce-ish cam paign to boost our neighborhood. By unrelenting propaganda, we convinced friends of ours, who hove seven chil dren and were crowded into a small ish house at the other end of the city, that their end wosn't fit for human habitation, whereas our end is ap proximately a heaven on eorth. There wos no misrepresentation in this. They were jampacked into their house, and our end of the city is unquestionably superior. We clinched the orgument by helping them to find, in our section, a magnificent man sion which was selling for a song. There ore many such bargains now adays because of the curious Amer ican delusion that one child makes a family, two children a tribe, and more than two children an attack on tfie foundations of civilization. The mansion is surrounded by a private park in which the seven youngsters moy run wild. Our friends are exceedingly pleased with the place, and pathetically grateful to us. And of course we have not told them thot we got something out of the deal, too. They do not realize thot the most attractive feoture of their property, in our eyes, is a big out door goldfish pond into which, at the first opportunity, we intend to dump our four goldfish. We consider this privilege a very moderate comNOVEMBER, 1952 59 mission, even for volunteer reol estate We ore waiting for o dork night to coincide with a time when our friends, with all their children, are away from home. Then we shall take the goldfish bowl, carry it out to the family automobile, drive silently into the driveway of our friends' mansion, and slink silently across the greens ward to the pond. There will be o gurgle ond a splash, ond we will get back into our car and return to our house to celebrate our dark victory. We know that we will suffer o moment of passing sadness. There is moment of passing sadness when you port with a pet which your children have forced upon you in one of your weak moments. But the psy chological lift which follows is well worth it. You are a human being again. No longer are you a mere oppendage to a dog, or a mere at tendant to a goldfish. Our goldfish ore nomed Pinky, Reddy, Speckles and Scooter. Pinky was named, apparently, from the foct thot he or she or it is pink. Reddy, similarly, is red. Pursuing the same principle. Speckles is speckled. Scooter is a streamlined character with a remarkable penchant for rushing from ploce to place and getting nowhere, like o modern Amer ican motorist in search of a restful vacation. Like all the other pets we have ever owned, the goldfish were acquired ot o time when my wife and I had been reduced to a stote of helpless hypnosis by the repetitious pleadings of one or another of the children, or of all the children together. "Mom-ee, we wont a dog!" "Daddee, please buy us a turtle!" Every parent has quailed ot the sound of that inexorable and nerve-shattering chonting. Every father ond mother has gone through the soul-smashing experience of being made to feel thot to say no would be to become a monster of heortlessness. Most par ents soon acquire spartan powers of resistance. We did not. My wife ond I needed twenty years to learn to stop yielding. We have now learned. We are never going, to give in again. At least, that is what we tell ourselves. Our first surrender—the surrender thot started the habit of surrendering —took place many years ago. Our family then consisted of one daughter who hos since grown old enough to want to sell the automobile and buy a riding-horse, which she proposes to quarter in the garage. Fortunately, the zoning laws in our neighborhood protect us from her 'teen-age bland ishments. Even if we should soy yes—which we hove no intention of doing—the police would say no. We are growing to appreciate the police more ond more every doy. Our horsey daughter's first pet— the pet which moved in after the first surrender—wos a conory named Popeye. Despite the name, Popeye was a female, and couldn't sing for sour apples. She got her nome from the fact thot she was given to our daughter by Grandpa, who was called Poppie to distinguish him from the 60 THE CROSS other Grandpa, who wos knosyn os Grandpa. We now realize that we should hove told Poppie firmly to take Popeye bock where he got her. The thing to do about pets is what any theologian or psychologist will tell you to do about ony bad habit—stop it before it gets established. Don't temporize. Don't back and fill. Don't huff and puff. Don't maybe and perhaps. Soy no, loudly, firmly ond furiously, and stick to it. If you don't, you're in for it. You will learn from bitter experience —as we leorned from Popeye—thot everybody loves pets in the abstract, and almost nobody loves them in the concrete. Everybody exclaims over them, but nobody wants to toke care of them. That is the lesson we learned from Popeye. Poppie liked to stand chirp ing at her on a sunny morning, for about one minute. Our daughter occasionally threw her a hasty "Hi, Popeye," in passing. But who fed her? We did. Who watered her? We did. Who cleaned her cage? Who filled her drinking cup, ond brought woter for her bath, and swept the floor sifter she had littered it with seeds, feathers and bits of apple? Ha! Popeye was welcomed into our house with hosannahs and high ex citement, and in three days was on unmitigated nuisance. But the trou ble wos thot she wos the kind of nuisance which is furiously defended by everybody who declines to be disturbed by it. We couldn't get rid of her. Our daughter, who seldom gave her a second glance, went into a decline at the slightest suggestion that she should be given awoy to somebody who might appreciate heru And for that matter, there was no body to give her to. Who wants a canary thot can't sing? We couldn't simply open her cage ond let her fly away. In the first place, she declined to depart. She knew which side her seed was buttered on. And even if she hod consented to leave, we felt that we should never again be able to hold up our heads if we sent her out alone and un protected into the cat-infested world. And of course we couldn't wring her neck. After all, she was one' of God's creatures. So Popeye stayed, ond we gritted our teeth helplessly and endured it. She stayed for years. She stayed until we began to wonder whether canaries, like parrots, live forever. But at last came the time when we moved into o new house—new to us, that is—which hod French- windows. We were not accustomed to French windows. We established Popeye in front of them, overlooking a sunny lawn, ond a sudden gust of wind blew open a window ond sent the cage crashing to the floor. It was clear to the least experi enced observer that Popeye was seri ously injured. Left to herself, her hours were numbered. But our con sciences cancelled the unworthy thought thot this was the time to go awoy and leave Popeye to pass oway unattended. No, she must hove her NOVEMBER, 1952 61 sporting chonce. We sent our doughter out to convoss the neighborhood in seorch of somebody who knew something about injured birds. Never hove we become so well acquainted with new neighbors so quickly. Almost before you could say Popeye, our living room wos crowded with sympathetic men and Their unanimous verdict wos that we must find Mrs. Bamberger. Mrs. Bamberger, it appeared, knew everything that can possibly be known about vegetables, flowers, animals, birds ond people. She was sent for, and responded promptly, appearing in our house dusting the hands, with which she had been preparing her garden, ond demanding in o friendly voice- to know what wos Jhe She exomined Popeye carefully, shook her head, bound splints on the tiny legs, and departed, warning us to expect the worst. She wos right? The next morning. Popeye lay motionless in her cage, and o kind of melancholy pervaded the household. Well, we hod done our best, for her; and now we would say goodbye with all due ceremony. It wos strange thot this morvellous little yellow creature should be life less. We wondered ot the mystery of life which yesterdoy had animated her, and today hod departed. We placed her in a little white box lined with a bit of silk, and moved in solemn procession to the back yard. There we scooped a tiny grove, and laid Popeye to rest. Our daughter solemnly plucked o flower and laid it on the freshly-turned earth. It wos all very touching, but my wife and I looked at eoch other ond told ourselves, silently, thot from now on the only living things thot would be taken into our family would be chil dren. We have learned our lesson, we said to ourselves. But we hadn't. The next creature to move in on us wos a collie; or rather, a tiny bundle of wriggling fur which was destined to grow into on enormous white collie with a bark that could be heard for mile, and an insotiable appetite for running offer children ond chasing automobiles. This time it was Aunt Gene who trapped us into violating our pledge to ourselves. She did not consult us in advance; she knew better. On Decoration Doy she arrived from the train in o taxi, carrying a basket in which was the creoture who was to disrupt our household for two years. By this time, we hod three children, and they clustered around with de lighted shouts when the lid wos opened to disclose the white puppy. After on hour of conferences, they named him Prince. Prince was so young that he could eat nothing but milk. In fact, he was so young that he couldn't even eot thot. He didn't know how; ond he might have starved had we not discovered that he would lap up his meals if somebody sat beside him, wriggling a finger in the milk to tempt him. I shudder to think of the time I spent doing thot. As usual, the children, after the first 62 THE CROSS novelty wore off, were much "too busy to bother. This situotion continued os Prince grew older. Every day ot feeding time there wos a loud ond spirited debate obout whose turn it was to take care of hirp. Ditto when he needed water. Ditto when he had to be taken for a run around the neigh borhood. Ditto, ditto, ditto; ond it was alwoys, in the end, either I or my wife who did the dittoing. Ti> domesticate Prince wos impos sible. Anyhow, we were told thot collies should live outdoors. I ruined the garage by cutting a door in it for him ond installing him there. He didn't wont to be indoors; but he didn't like the garage either, and he took to howling at the moon, or barking at passing automobiles, in the wee hours of the morning. Our popularity stock in the neighborhood fell rapidly. Prince also had a genius for slip ping his leash. <He became notorious among motorists, who were reduced to nervous prostration by their frantic efforts to avoid running him down as he snapped at their front wheels. He could run, I believe, ot leost fifty miles an hour. He took to meeting the children— oil the children for blocks oround— at school, and running from group to group os they skipped home. All he wonted to do, of course, was to play; but how were they to know thot? I spent much of my time abjectly apol ogizing to irate parents. And to top it all off, I discovered that the only way to silence Prince when he storted his nightly uproar wos to get out of bed and give him on extra ration. It wos too much. My wife ond I held a council, and decided that Prince must go. I palmed him off on a fellow-newspaperman who had bought a house in the country, and wanted a dog to protect his smoll boy. I assured him that the devil himself wouldn't go near the boy os long as Prince wos present. One gladsome doy, then, Prince ond I ported with mutual expressions of esteem. My newspaperman friend was very pleased with him, and he guarded the little boy adequately, for several years. But ot last he chased one automobile tob mony. Let us pass over in silence other pets which hove infested our house hold, or tried to infest it. Let us draw the veil on the cocker spaniel which was finally taken off our hands by the milk man, and the stray cots and dogs to which we firmly said no in spite of the anguished appeals of our children—who by this time num ber five. Let us get to the goldfish, and to the end of this interminable essay. The goldfish were foisted on us with the plea that otter all goldfish couldn't bark or chose automobiles or children, couldrt't litter up the house with birdseed, couldn't break their legs and die to spite Mrs. Bamberger, couldn't howl ot the moon, and sel dom need to be fed. I have omitted from this account the harrowing story of how I used to wosh Prince White Collie in the bathtub and dry him. with the both mot; but now the chilNOVEMBER, 1952 63 dren argued that goldfish needed no washing, ond. couldn't leave the bath room in turmoil. There wos no dis puting the logic of that. Well, we should have known better, but we finally succumbed to the sol emn childish promises thot we would never have to bother with the gold fish because Betty would change their water every doy, and Joe would feed them. Three doys loter, my wife and I were taking turns doing those chores; ond when we rebelled once ond- insisted thot Betty do ■ her duty, the bowl got broken ond I had to rush to a friend's house to borrow another—which not long afterword was broken too. Come to think of it, we haven't bought our friend o new bowl yet. But it isn't really the changing of the water ond the feeding of the fish which have hardened into concrete our resolution to get rid of them. No; the straw thot has broken the Breig back is the fact thot the gold fish ore installed in the sun parlor where I do my writing; and at night, when everybody is in bed and the place is as still as an abandoned tomb, they come to the surface ond smack their lips at me just as I am about to grasp o thought ond put it down on paper. Have you ever tried to concentrate while four goldfish were making little blupping noises at you behind your bock? Hove your ever tried to keep your mind on some deep philosophical truth while that tiny bubbling sound went remorselessly on? If you hove, you know why, for the moment, I om writing whot passes for humor. Laughing at oneself is the only refuge from thot intolerable noise. But I expect to go back to my philosophy as soon os we get thot dark night for which we ore waiting—the dark night when our friends ore away from their mansion ond their fish pond. And even so, I will be in some obscure way sorry to part forever from Pinky, Reddy, Speckles ond Scooter. There will be a little pang in my heart when with o fiendish grin, I dump them into our friend's pond. For just about one minute, I will be sad; os I wos when Popeye died, and when Prince went awoy, and when the spaniel was handed over to the milk Neverthless, I sholl say a firm farewell to our goldfish. I know thot it is all for the best. They will be happier in the big outdoor pool with the other goldfish, and I will be able to go back to my writing without being burbled at behind my back. And my wife won't have to change fish-water any more. She always says "ugh" when she does it, ond no husband likes to have his wife going around saying "ugh." It isn't jrery matrimonial. What others say can't hurt you—unless you let it. 64 THE CROSS REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND COMMUNICATIONS BUREAU OF POSTS MANILA SWORN STATEMENT (required by Act 2580) • The undersigned, Jose Galan y Blanco, Editor of THE CROSS, published monthly in English at Manila, after having duly sworn in accordance with law, hereby submits the following statement of ownership, management, circulation, etc. which is required by Act 2580, as amended by Commonwealth Act No. 201: Editor, Business Manager, Owner and Publisher ........................................................... Jose Galan y Blanco Printer ........................................................................R. P. Garcia Press Office of publication ...........................................Regina Building, Manila Bondholders, mortgagees, or other security holders owning one percent or more of total amount of security ...........................None Total number of copies printed and circulated on the last issue dated October, 1952: Sent to subscribers .......................................5,600 (Sgd.) J. GALAN Editor Subscribed and sworn before 'me this 4th day of October, 1952, at Manila, the affiant exhibiting Residence Certificate No. A-5501 issued at Manila on January 2, 1952. '• (Sgd.) VICENTE ROCO, Jr. Reg. No. 290, p. 59, Book I Notary Public My commission expires Dec. 31, 1952 A fellow who lived in on isolated region went to the city for the first time and returned wearing a ring containing a huge stone. The jewelry dazzled the village belles ond excited the envy of the other men, one of whom finally asked if it wos a real diamond. "Waal, if it ain't," replied the weorer, "I've shore been skun out of four bits!" Dear sir, In the matter of rice production here in the Philippines how about considering the fact that Thailand is not bothered by the evils of Huks and typhoons? Blaming it all on the "mania for white-collar jobs" as you stated in your editorial is I think a little bit too one-sided view. Onofre H. Saladre You give too much credit to the Huks. It is estimated that there are only 5,000 Huks in our population of 20,000,000. Most provinces in the Philippines have no Huks, but all have t'ne white-collar disease.—Ed. We need □ subdivision in our file for this next one, taken from the Southern Cross of Cape town The bus was very crowded and the day hot and uncomfortable., A boy of thirteen or so occupied one of the seats, while a tired looking woman jtooc' in front of him with a baby in her arms. Noticing this, a s‘:cp-hang ng male passenger offered the boy a nickel for the seat. The boy took the coin, stood up, and the mon nodded for the woman to take the seat. The ady sat down, thanked hm ond sa:d: "Thank the nice man ! ! IMPORTANT ! ! Christians.... slumber not... ! Fight for our TRUE FAITH against the MOCKERS, the ROARING LION (the many Bl’LAANG IGLESIA) who seduce many..! Propagate our: “SARADONG KATOLIKO ROMANO KAMI’’. It is cue of our strong WEAPONS (in Tagalog) against them. A:id our new leaflet: “ANGHEL BA O HARING SOLOMON SI FELIX MANALO?” Read the facts about Felix Manalo. A good LESSON also for the women. Both by Lino I). Javier, and both available at the: Catholic Trade School — BOOKMARK — Liberia San Pablo 1916 Oroquieta,—15 Banquero & Escolta,—531 F. B. Harrison St., Manila — Manila — Manila Or write and inclose one peso and eighty centavos (Pl.80) MRS. EL1SEA B. JAVIER Dinalupihan, Bataan WHEN YOU USE A DAILY MISSAL YOU PRAY WITH THE PRIEST DAILY MISSAL by Fr. Losonce — THE NEW MISSAL FOR EVERYDAY — Genuine leather cover, red edged, boxed ................................................................. 1’1 1 . 55 THE NEW MISSAL FOR EVERYDAY — Genuine Icother cover, gold edged, boxed ............................................................... 15.00 THE NEW ROMAN DAILY MISSAL — Genuine leather levant grain, gold edged, boxed .................................................... 22.00 MARIAN DAILY MISSAL by Fr. Jcurgens — Genuine, brown leather, padded cover, gold edged embossed design on front covei, title on bockbone stomped in gold, with case ..................................................................... 24.00 Imitotion leather, gold edged, title on backbone stamped in gold, with case ..................................................................... 20.00 Duro-lecther cover, red edged, title cn beckbone stomped in gold, with case ..................................................................... J 2.90 THE NEW MARIAN DAILY MISSAL by Fr. Juergens— Genuine, brown leather, padded cover, gold edged, embossed design on front cover, title on backbone stamped in gold, with case .................................................................... 14.80 Imitation leather, geld edged, title on backbone stamped in gold, with case .................................................................... 10 35 ST. ANDREW'S DAILY MISSAL, by Fr. Lefebvre — Imitation leather, red edged, boxed ...................................... 13.75 Imitation leather, go’d edged, boxed ...................................... Imitation leather, gold edged, with Jesuit Supplement, .boxed . . 15.40 16.50 KNOX DAILY MISSAL — Genuine leather cover, red edged, in Lolin-English, boxed . . 21.50 For mail orders please add thirty centavos (0.30) for postage, registered goofcmarfi REGINA BUILDING • 15 BANQUERO & ESCOLTA * MANILA • PHILIPPINES • TELEPHONE 3-92-39